Admission & Enrollment Policy

It is the policy of Instant Impact Global Prep (IIGP) to comply with all state and federal regulations regarding admission as outlined in Mississippi Code §37-28-15 and

• 37-28-23 to ensure that any lottery be “equitable, randomized, transparent, and

impartial”. IIGP will not discriminate during the admission and lottery process on the basis of gender, gender identity, national origin, ethnicity, religion, proficiency in English language, income level, disability, academic, artistic, athletic ability, sexual orientation, or the district the child would otherwise attend.

Lottery Application Requirement. IIGP requires applicants to submit a complete lottery application form in order to be considered for admission. During the start-up year, IIGP intends to accept applications immediately upon receiving the charter.

Therefore, the application period will begin with the issuance of the charter, and end at the lottery date, which will be held in April of the start-up year. For the following years, the official lottery application time period will be from January 1 through April 1. In the event there are not enough applications to fill all the seats by April 1, all students will be given a seat who have submitted an application. The enrollment process will continue on a first come, first serve basis until all seats are filled.

Lottery Provisions. A “lottery” for purposes of this policy is a non-weighted, random selection process that determines the order of enrollment of student applicants. A lottery is to be conducted if the number of applicants exceeds the maximum enrollment by April 1 of every year. The lottery shall take place within 7 calendar days after the closing date of the application period, April 1. The School Leader or designee of the School will conduct the lottery, with supervision by at least one member of the School Board. Every effort will be made to conduct the lottery in a public forum unless restrictions are in place, such as those that were mandated by COVID-19. This ensures the integrity of the application and selection process.

Development of Waiting List. Once all seats are filled, the lottery process will continue in order to develop a Wait List. Any student who applies outside the application period (January 1 through April 1) will be added to the wait list below those who were chosen through the lottery. As space becomes available throughout the year, applicants will be called from the waiting list beginning with applicants at the top of the list. The wait list will be cleared every January and all parents on the list will be notified that they will need to apply again for admission if they wish to be considered for the upcoming school year.

Enrollment Preferences and Priorities. After IIGP’s opening year, returning students (students who currently attend IIGP and intend to return the next school year) are exempted from the lottery and can return for the next year if they notify IIGP of their intent to return for the next school year by June 1. For any student who is attending IIGP whose parent has NOT notified the school of the intent to return, the school will make every effort to contact the parent, including home visits.

Siblings of returning students are exempt from the lottery, space permitting, and are automatically accepted for admission. For this policy “sibling” shall mean a biological or legally adopted brother or sister residing in the same household as the applicant or step sibling residing in the same household or children living together due to homelessness or other issues.

Children of the School’s founders, teachers, and staff (so long as the total number of students allowed constitutes no more than 10% of the total enrollment as per Mississippi Code §37-28-23(8)(c)) are exempt from lottery requirements, as permitted by federal guidance on the Charter Schools Program.

In the event the school does not meet the 80% requirement for special populations of the district as per Mississippi Code §37-28-23(5), the Board of Trustees will work with senior school administration and the authorizer to develop a fair, weighted lottery to ensure these students are allowed equitable access.

Lottery and Application Documents Parents will be able to apply for the lottery in a variety of ways including coming to the school to fill out a lottery application, requesting that the school mail them an application and returning it by mail, or logging onto the school’s website and completing the lottery application. The following information will be required:

• Students name
• Current grade, grade requesting through lottery
• Address
• Phone number
• If the Student has a sibling already in the school or if the student is related to a founding school member
• Parents name
• Date of Application

All lottery applications will be awarded a number based on when received by the school. School personnel will keep records of who submitted a lottery application and the student’s number. This will be sorted by grade applying for. At the lottery, these numbers will be randomized (or manually picked from a container) and will determine who will receive a seat at the school. The lottery will be administered by grade level. After obtaining a seat in the school through the lottery, applicants are considered to be admitted to the school but will be required to submit a completed school enrollment application packet for formal enrollment. The application form will include the following items:

• Student’s name (first, last, and middle names)
• Student’s birth date and age
• Student’s current grade level and grade applied for
• Student’s residential address
• Phone numbers
• Student’s current school and district names if applicable
• Any and all paperwork on Special Ed and English Language proficiency

• All the required consent forms
• Proof of Residency
• Immunization
• Any medical forms, issues and medications
• School records from prior school, if applicable
• Applicant’s parents’ name and signature

Under no circumstances will the information in the enrollment packet be used to counsel students out, transfer them to another school, or deny them the seat obtained through the lottery process.

Verification of Residency. According to Mississippi Code §37-28-23(1)(a) & (b), students must reside within the boundaries of the school district in which the charter school is located or who reside within a District rated C, D, or F at the time of authorization or student enrollment. Verification will include:

• Ownership of housing
• Property tax bill
• Current rental or lease agreement with parent/guardian’s name
• Social Security, Benefit, or Entitlement official letters from government agencies
• Cable bill in parent/guardian’s name
• Utility bill in parent/guardian’s name
• Payroll stub in parent/guardian’s name

These requirements are different for students who are homeless. “Homelessness” means lacking a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. The Director of Academics in year 1 and Director of Student Supports in year 2 onward will serve as the primary contact between homeless families and school staff, shelter workers, and other service providers. The director will also assist in obtaining necessary residential verification if needed. If a dispute arises over the enrollment of a homeless child, (s)he shall be immediately admitted to IIGP until resolution of the dispute. Under no circumstances will a homeless child be denied enrollment due to lack of shelter.

McKinney-Vento Compliance IIGP shall strive to enroll homeless children who are not currently attending school and shall adopt policies and practices to ensure that students, including homeless children are not stigmatized or segregated on the basis of their homeless status. IIGP shall review and revise policies which act as barriers to the enrollment of homeless children. In determining homelessness, consideration will be given to factors such as transportation, immunization, residency, birth certificates, school records and other documentation, and guardianship.

Food Allergy Information

The parent of each student enrolled at IIGP must complete a form that discloses (1) whether the child has a food allergy that should be disclosed to take any necessary precautions regarding the child’s safety and (2) specifies the food(s) to which the child is allergic and the nature of the allergic reaction. Food allergy information forms will be maintained in the child’s student records, and shall remain confidential. Information provided on food allergy information forms may be disclosed to teachers, school counselors, school nurses, lunchroom staff, and other appropriate school personnel only to the extent consistent with Board policy and as permissible under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (“FERPA”).

Policies and Procedures Around Waiting Lists, Withdrawals, Re-Enrollment, and Transfers

As stated above, the waiting list will be cleared every year. Parents on the waiting list will be notified in January that they must reapply again for the lottery for the upcoming school year. (NOTE: the wait list will be saved and in the event the school must backfill prior to April 1, the students on the waitlist will still be offered the seat.)

Withdrawals and transfers in an elementary school are the same thing. In no case will a student be allowed to leave school without documented proof that they have already enrolled in another school. In the event that this were to occur, the school will immediately notify the appropriate legal authorities. Records of transfers will be kept for seven years.

Student re-enrollment will be determined on a case by case basis depending upon available space.

The school will of course host open houses and school visits but there is no requirement for any pre-admission activity for students or parents.