Bulloch Schools’ Annual School Choice Privilege window for requests will be open May 3 – 21

Bulloch County Schools has announced that the Annual School Choice Privilege window for requests will be open May 3 – 21 this year. 

In accordance with the Bulloch County Board of Education’s policy JBCCA: Student Assignment to Schools, a parent or legal guardian may elect to submit a request for their child, who is in Kindergarten through twelfth grade, to attend another public school in the Bulloch County School System for the 2021-2022 school year. This is called School Choice Privilege. For complete information visit Bulloch County Schools’ website.

All parents will submit their requests via an electronic survey.  This survey will be activated on the school district website by 7:30 a.m., on Monday, May 3, and must be completed and submitted electronically by 4 p.m., on Friday, May 21.  Should you need help to complete the survey, call 912.212.8562 no later than 4:30 p.m., on Wednesday, May 19, to request assistance.

The following conditions apply:

• The parent who makes the request must be a parent or legal guardian who resides in the primary household with the child.
• The child must be a full-time resident of Bulloch County.
• Space must be available at the requested school after the school’s assigned students have been enrolled.

Schools with available space for 2021-2022

• Julia P. Bryant Elementary School
• Portal Elementary School
• Stilson Elementary School
• Portal Middle High School (Grades 6-12)

All other schools are considered to be closed due to not having available space to serve non-zoned students.  Applications for closed schools will be accepted when the request is to allow a student to attend the same school as a special needs sibling who was placed by Bulloch County Schools at a closed school due to lack of services required at the siblings home school.

The number of spaces available at open schools will not be pre-determined in advance of the application submission window in order to allow the district to consider the net effect of application approval at each school by grade and program.

Any special programs required by the student must be available at the school requested. Policy JBCCA: Student Assignment to Schools does not provide that the district allow for transfers to schools where special programs do not already exist.

Other Points to Consider

• Any student who transfers schools under School Choice Privilege is subject to the eligibility requirements of the Georgia High School Association.
• Parents or legal guardians must submit a request for each child.  Approval of one child in a family does not guarantee approval of others in the same family.
• Approval of students to transfer under School Choice Privilege does not guarantee that younger siblings will be able to attend the same school once they reach school age.  If space is not available at a school the year a younger sibling begins Kindergarten, their application will be denied, regardless of the School Choice status of older students continuing at the same school.
• School Choice Privilege does not apply to students applying for enrollment in a lottery funded Georgia Pre-Kindergarten program.  District procedure is to provide Pre-Kindergarten enrollment preference to resident students and children of full-time Bulloch County Schools employees.
• If your child was approved for transfer under School Choice Privilege in a prior year and your child will be continuing his or her enrollment at the same school, you should not re-apply.
• If your child will be completing all grades at their current school this academic year and you wish for your child to attend school outside his attendance zone as a rising sixth or ninth-grade student, you are required to submit a new application.
• Children not currently attending a Bulloch County public school, including new Kindergarten students, must be fully registered by Friday, May 14, 2021 in order to have a School Choice application considered.

Source: Bulloch County Schools