What
is the St. Louis Student Transfer Program?
The St. Louis Student
Transfer Program was established under a Settlement Agreement reached in the St.
Louis desegregation case and approved by the Federal Court.
This Settlement Agreement allows African-American students residing in
the City of St. Louis to attend one of several school districts in St. Louis
County provided certain requirements are met. Transportation is then provided by
the transfer program to schools within your attendance area.
How
are the county school districts rated?
All participating school
districts are fully accredited by the Missouri Department of Elementary and
Secondary Education (and some are accredited with distinction).
In addition, all participating high schools are accredited by the North
Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
Should
I apply for all of my children at the same time?
YES.
The VICC makes every effort to keep children living in the same household
in the same district, whenever possible. If
you need more applications than are included in this booklet, feel free to
photocopy the enclosed application or call the VICC at 314.721.8422, ext. 3023
or 3025. The VICC must
receive a separate application for each student.
Is
it possible that my child could be turned down for a transfer?
YES.
The transfer program does have some eligibility standards that must be
met. If your child has demonstrated
disruptive behavior in school during the last two years, as reported by the
school he or she is now attending or had attended during the past two years,
your child could be turned down. Lack of available space at
your child's grade level could also result in a child not being placed.
Also, students receiving
special education services on a full-time basis are not
eligible to transfer. Furthermore,
the St. Louis Public Schools may elect to serve students with special needs at
their own facilities.
If
my child is accepted by a suburban district, can his or her enrollment be
revoked at a later date?
YES, but only if important
information was omitted or was inaccurate on the original application.
In such cases, your child's enrollment could be canceled upon discovery
of the omission or inaccuracy. In
addition, for new students just entering the transfer program, if records
indicating past disciplinary action or criminal behavior, which would have made
your child ineligible for a transfer because of the Safe Schools Act, become
available after a transfer is completed, that student's enrollment will be
canceled. In such cases, he or she
normally returns to the assigned school in the city or to some other private
arrangement.
How
will I know if the VICC has received my child's application?
The VICC sends post cards weekly to parents acknowledging receipt of all applications.
If you do not receive a post card within ten business days after mailing
your application, please notify the VICC, 314.721.8422, ext. 3023 or 3025.
How
is eligibility determined?
Applications are reviewed
initially to determine eligibility based upon race and city residency.
After this preliminary eligibility screening, behavior information is requested
from current and/or previous school attended for all eligible students.
As this information is returned to the VICC, applicants will be reviewed
for behavior eligibility. Applications of students who meet all eligibility
requirements are approved for transfer subject
to space availability in a school district.
Applicants who are determined not to be eligible based on past disruptive
behavior are notified in writing.
If the VICC is not able to obtain a completed behavior form from the
current/previous school, the parent will then be sent written notification in
May to submit the child's final report card as a substitute for this
behavior information. If your child
attended multiple schools during the year, you will need to submit report cards
from each school reflecting grades received for each quarter of the school year.
How
is placement made in the district?
Students who are siblings of an existing
transfer student and students who applied the previous year and were not
enrolled are assigned first. After
this initial assignment, new applications are then processed in the order received.
Eligible applications will be sent to suburban districts in
the proper attendance area according to grade
and space availability based upon the date of the VICC's receipt of the
application. Parents will then be contacted directly by the district, either by phone or by letter, notifying them
that their child has been accepted for the upcoming school year. Parents will be
invited to personally visit the district in order to complete the pre-enrollment
process. VICC will provide taxi
transportation for this pre-enrollment visit, if needed.
If
you decline the district's invitation to enroll,
the application will be returned to the VICC and a post card will be mailed to
you asking if you want VICC to continue efforts to place your child in a county
school. You must respond to this post
card if you want your child's application to remain active and eligible to
be sent to another district for placement.
However, if you decline a district's invitation to enroll your child, please be
aware that there may not be another spot in a county school for your child.
If
my child is accepted by a district that I did not list as a choice, must I
accept?
NO. Your enrollment is
voluntary at all times. You are not
obligated to accept a transfer to any school district.
However, if your child is accepted
by a district you did not list as a choice that means the districts you selected
did not have space at the grade level requested.
The VICC urges you to visit the accepting district and school and ask as
many questions as possible before making a decision to decline placement.
A district you may not have originally considered could turn out to be an
excellent choice for your child.
Will
I be notified if my child is not assigned to a district even though his/her
application was eligible?
YES.
If your child meets all the eligibility requirements, but the VICC is
unable to assign him/her due to lack of space availability in his/her grade
level, the application is placed into a category identified as "No Space
Available." You will receive
written notification from the VICC if this process occurs.
Will my child be eligible to participate in sports during his or her first year
at a county school?
YES. There is no
waiting period before participation in sports providing the student otherwise
meets school district and State of Missouri requirements regarding proper
eligibility.
How
can I find out more about the school I want my child to attend before I submit
my application?
If you have more
questions about school districts in your attendance area, you are encouraged to
visit those districts' web sites or call those districts' contact persons. Each
district's contact person and web address is listed in the district description.
What
should I do if my address and/or phone number changes after submitting an
application?
It is very important for you
to call the VICC office at 314.721.8422, ext. 3023 or 3025, immediately to
report your new address and telephone number. Because new students are assigned
according to their residential attendance area, a change in address could result
in different school choices being available to your child.
What
happens if I move into a different attendance area of the city after being
accepted by a county district, or after school begins?
If you move into a different
attendance area after being accepted by a county district (or after school
starts), reassignment to an in-area school and/or district will be pursued as
soon as possible. If you wish to
continue at your original school, you may do so, but you will need to provide
your own transportation and complete the Parental Transportation Agreement.
If
my child enrolls in a district and decides that he/she does not want to stay
there, what options do we have?
Because this is a voluntary
choice program, your child can always elect to withdraw and return to his or her
home school in the city. However,
you and your child are strongly encouraged to allow for a period of adjustment
to your new school before deciding to return to your home school.
Counselors are on staff at the VICC to assist families with adjustment
issues.