ADMISSIONS PROCESS
Contact Nicole Klunder, Director of Enrollment, if you have questions regarding enrolling your student at Black River Public School or would like to set up a time to tour the campus. Nicole can be reached via email at klundern@brpsk12.org or by phone at 616-355-0055 ext. 116.
Charter School Enrollment Provisions of State Law
The Admissions Policy of Black River Public School is developed based on the language of the state law, which refers to a charter school as a “public school academy.” Because Black River Public School is chartered by Grand Valley State University, the following statutory provisions apply:
For a public school academy authorized by a state public university, enrollment shall be open to all pupils who reside in this state who meet the admission policy. If there are more applications to enroll in the public school academy than there are spaces available, pupils shall be selected to attend using a random selection process. However, a public school academy may give enrollment priority to a sibling of a pupil enrolled in the public school academy. A public school academy shall allow any student who was enrolled in the public school academy in the immediately preceding school year to enroll in the public school academy in the appropriate grade…. [Michigan Revised School Code, 1976 PA 451, MCL 380.504(3)] (emphasis added)
State law also allows charter schools to accept students in an approved foreign exchange program.
ADMISSIONS POLICY
Open Enrollment
Open enrollment for the next academic year always begins on the first school day in October and concludes at 4:00 pm on the last Wednesday of February. If the last Wednesday of February is not a school day, open enrollment will close at 4:00 pm on the next school day.
Following the close of open enrollment, if the number of applications exceeds the number of open seats, a random selection lottery determines acceptance. If the number of applications does not exceed the number of open seats, all applicants are accepted for their respective grades.
Lottery
Lotteries will be held for any grade in which the number of applications exceeds the number of openings. Names are randomly selected, by priority grouping, and applicants are accepted based on the order in which they are selected. The lottery continues until all names are drawn. Applicants who are not accepted will be placed on a waiting list in the order their names were drawn.
Priority Group Preferences
The order of priority in which spaces for each grade will be filled will be as follows:
Priority Group #1
Students enrolled for the current school year are automatically re-enrolled unless formally withdrawn. (Students with an Individual Education Plan active on the first day of the following school year are automatically re-enrolled unless formally withdrawn).
Priority Group #2
Siblings of currently enrolled students will be given enrollment priority if an enrollment application form for each sibling is completed and returned on or before 4:00pm on the last Wednesday of February. Sibling preference is defined as children who have at least one common parent/legal guardian. For the purposes of enrollment priority, a parent’s children, step-children, adopted children, foster children, and same household children, in which a parent or guardian resides, are all considered to be each other’s siblings. This preference is not available to applications received after open enrollment has closed.
Child(ren) of a person employed full time at Black River Public School will be given enrollment priority if an enrollment application form for each child is completed and returned on or before 4:00pm on the last Wednesday of February. Employee - child preference is defined as children where at least one parent or legal guardian meets the requirements as outlined by the employee handbook. This preference is not available to applications received after open enrollment has closed.
If space is not available in any grade level for this priority group, a lottery will be performed to determine the order of the sibling wait list.
Priority Group #3
New students accepted prior to the lottery. If the number of applicants for a grade is less than or equal to the number of spaces available for that grade, all new applicants for that grade are accepted and are enrolled prior to the lottery drawing for admissions.
Priority Group #4
Siblings of newly-enrolled students. When, at the close of open enrollment, one sibling is validly accepted into a grade that is not oversubscribed, or is accepted by lottery, any of that child’s siblings who have timely applied, may enroll if space is available in their respective grades. If space is not available, they advance to the sibling wait list. This preference is not available to applications received after open enrollment has closed.
Priority Group #5
All remaining applicants. If there are more applicants than spaces available, a random selection lottery will be used to determine the order of those enrolled and wait listed. This preference is not available to applications received after open enrollment has closed.
Priority Group #6
Applicants after the close of open enrollment. For grades that are not oversubscribed at the end of open enrollment, applicants will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until the grade is full, at which time further applicants are placed on a wait list. For each grade with a wait list, all applications received will be placed on the wait list.
Foreign Exchange Students
Foreign Exchange students must follow the same enrollment process as detailed in the Admissions Policy. Please understand that Black River Public School is unable to accept Foreign Exchange students who are citizens of the United States that do not reside in Michigan. Foreign Exchange students cannot earn a diploma from Black River Public School.
Kindergarten
For the 2019-2020 academic year, if you are applying for kindergarten, your child will need to be 5 years old by September 1, 2019 or as permitted by Section 1147 (3) below.
380.1147 Enrollment of child in kindergarten; age; eligibility; notification.
Sec. 1147.
(3) If a child residing in the school district or a child eligible to enroll in and be counted in membership in the school district under section 105 or 105c of the state school aid act of 1979, MCL 388.1705 and 388.1705c, is not 5 years of age on the enrollment eligibility date specified in subsection (2), but will be 5 years of age not later than December 1 of a school year, the parent or legal guardian of that child may enroll the child in kindergarten for that school year in a public school operated by the school district or, for a community district or a school district that does not directly operate schools on its own, in another public school located within the geographic boundaries of the school district if the parent or legal guardian notifies the public school in writing that he or she intends to enroll the child in kindergarten for that school year. A public school that receives this written notification may make a recommendation to the parent or legal guardian of a child described in this subsection that the child is not ready to enroll in kindergarten due to the child's age or other factors. However, regardless of this recommendation, the parent or legal guardian retains the sole discretion to determine whether or not to enroll the child in kindergarten under this subsection.
Admission is Conditional
Applicants are required to fully complete all required enrollment materials and provide all necessary information. This includes, but is not limited to, the enrollment application form, copy of birth certificate, immunization information, and proof of current grade level via grade report or transcript (not applicable for kindergarten applicants). Making an omission of a material fact or a false statement in enrollment application materials may be sufficient cause for denying an applicant consideration for enrollment or for expulsion after enrollment.
Compliance With The Code of Conduct
All students and prospective students must abide by the Black River Public School Student Code of Conduct and are subject to disciplinary action for violations thereof, up to and including expulsion. A prospective student is subject to the all school policies, practices and procedures (and consequences for violations), even before their first day of class.
Equal Educational Opportunity
Black River Public School does not charge tuition and does not discriminate in its pupil admission policies or practices on the basis of:
a. intellectual ability
b. athletic ability
c. achievement or aptitude measurements
d. handicap or disability, or
e. any other basis not permitted by federal and/or state law.
Some testing may be required to determine the proper placement in a subject area but such tests are administered after a student has been accepted for admission.