Steele Canyon High School will actively pursue a diverse student population from the district and surrounding areas who understand and value the school’s mission and are committed to the school’s instructional and operational philosophy. Admission to the school shall be open to any resident of the State of California.

School Capacity

The approved charter states that the initial enrollment for Steele Canyon High School will not exceed 2,200. Thereafter, SCHS’s Governing Board will annually set the maximum enrollment by grade level prior to the open enrollment period. "NOTE: Steele Canyon's enrollment is already closed for school year 2007-08. Read below for an explanation about admissions/enrollment processes and facts."

To qualify for admission:

•A parent or guardian of a student must complete and return a simple, non-discriminatory application form.

•The student and a parent or guardian must sign a form stating that they are familiar with and agree to abide by all policies and procedures set forth in the school’s Student/Parent Handbook, which outlines the responsibilities of students, parent/guardians, and the staff.

If more students qualify than can be admitted, priority for admissions shall be assigned in the following order:

•Returning or existing students (including incoming 9th graders in SCHS attendance area).

•Siblings of returning or existing students.

•Existing student: A former student who graduated from Steele Canyon High School.

•Returning student: A student who is currently attending Steele Canyon High School.

•Sibling: Brother or Sister.

•Students residing in the pre-determined attendance boundaries.

•Children of Steele Canyon High School staff members.

•Students residing in the Grossmont Union High School District attendance boundaries.

•All other students permitted by law.

All qualified applicants from the open enrollment period become members of the school’s applicant pool. Grade levels (e.g., 9th grade) shall be filled in priority order. At such point that filling a priority would exceed the capacity of the grade level, then a public lottery shall be held for all and only qualified applicants within that priority. Applicants will be admitted in the order their names are drawn from a lottery hat. After capacity has been reached for that grade level, names shall be placed on a waiting list, again in the order they are drawn from the hat. Sibling applicants shall be drawn individually and then given the same placement on the waiting list in their respective grades as the best one drawn between them.

An adult citizen of good standing, not otherwise employed by the school, will testify in writing under penalty of perjury, that he or she personally witnessed each lottery pursuant to the above, and that each was random, public and conducted as advertised.

As space becomes available during a school year, the school will make reasonable efforts to contact the applicant with the highest rank on the applicable waiting list. In the absence of an affirmative or timely response, the school will eliminate the applicant from the pool and proceed to the next eligible applicant. All waiting lists extinguish annually at the end of the school’s formal academic year, or as otherwise determined by the Steele Canyon High School Governing Board. From time to time the Governing Board will adopt policies to guide this process.

The school will maintain auditable records of the above activities.

The school certifies that, to the best of its knowledge, all its admissions procedures, policies and criteria comply with non-discrimination statutes and applicable law. The school shall defend, indemnify and hold harmless the district from any and all challenges alleging that the school’s admission procedures do not comport with applicable laws.

Parents are assured that Steele Canyon High School adheres to the following:

•Steele Canyon shall be non-sectarian in its programs, admission policies, employment practices, and all other operations.

•Steele Canyon does not charge a fee or tuition.

•Steele Canyon does not discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, national origin, gender, or disability.

California Education Code Section Governing Attendance and Admission Policies

CALIFORNIA EDUCATION CODE: SECTION 47605-47608

47605 (d) (1) In addition to any other requirement imposed under this part, a charter school shall be nonsectarian in its programs, admission policies, employment practices, and all other operations, shall not charge tuition, and shall not discriminate against any pupil on the basis of ethnicity, national origin, gender, or disability. Except as provided in paragraph (2), admission to a charter school shall not be determined according to the place of residence of the pupil, or of his or her parent or guardian, within this state, except that any existing public school converting partially or entirely to a charter school under this part shall adopt and maintain a policy giving admission preference to pupils who reside within the former attendance area of that public school.(2) (A) A charter school shall admit all pupils who wish to attend the school. (B) However, if the number of pupils who wish to attend the charter school exceeds the school’s capacity, attendance, except for existing pupils of the charter school, shall be determined by a public random drawing. Preference shall be extended to pupils currently attending the charter school and pupils who reside in the district except as provided for in Section 47614.5. Other preferences may be permitted by the chartering authority on an individual school basis and only if consistent with the law.

Federal Guidance: Title V, Part B Department of Education Non-Regulatory Guidance

Pursuant to the Federal guidance provided by the Department of Education, a charter school that is oversubscribed must use a lottery to select it students for admission. Generally, the charter school may exempt students from the lottery on the following basis: (a) students who are enrolled in a public school at the time it is converted into a public charter school; (b) siblings of students already admitted to or attending the same charter school; (c) children of a charter school’s founders (so long as this is a small percentage of the school’s enrollment); and (d) children of employees (again, so long as this is a small percentage of the school’s enrollment). Additional limited preferences are allowed by state law as approved in an individual charter.

California Department of Education Guidance: Enrollment Of Students With Disabilities in Charter Schools As put forth by the California Department of Education, Federal law and regulation prohibit any public school, including charter schools, from denying admission to any student on the basis of a disability, or the nature of or extent of a disability. More specifically, a student with disabilities must be afforded the opportunity to participate in a charter school (Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] Section 104.4(b)(1)(i); Section 504, Vocational Rehabilitation Act; Title II, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; California Government Code Section 11135; California Education Code (EC) Section 220). Further, EC Section 47605(d)(1) states a charter school “shall not discriminate against any pupil on the basis of…disability.” “A charter school shall admit all pupils who wish to attend [charter] school” (EC Section 47605(d)(2)(A)) except as provided by those provisions related to a public random drawing (emphasis added). Despite the existence or lack of a program for a student with disabilities at a charter school, enrollment may not be denied (CFR Section 104.4(b)(3); EC Section 47646(a)).

As California public schools, charter schools are subject to Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, as amended in 2004 (IDEA). Students with disabilities attending charter schools and their families retain all rights under IDEA (34 CFR Section 300.209(a)). Students with disabilities enrolled in charter schools must receive services in the same manner and to the same extent as other schools (34 CFR Section 300.209(b)(1)(i)). To assure adequate resources, monies apportioned for the purposes of special education must be expended exclusively for special education programs (EC Section 56836.04(b)).

Attendance Boundaries at http://www.guhsd.net/parents.html

While Steele Canyon High School is a California Charter School, its boundaries are determined in collaboration with the Grossmont Union High School District. The present boundaries are those delineated as of the 2006-07 school year. Any changes in these boundaries cannot be made without the approval of the Governing Boards of Steele Canyon High School and the Grossmont Union High School District.

Preference in admissions will be given to students residing within the attendance boundary for Steele Canyon High School set by GUHSD at the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year, including option areas.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

All students applying for admission to Steele Canyon High School must complete an application.

•Those students not currently attending Steele Canyon High School who live within the Steele Canyon High School attendance boundary area must stop by and pick up the 2007-08 New/Incoming Application. Completed application and two (2) proofs of residency along with GUHSD Option Letter MUST be returned, in person, to Steele Canyon High School no later than 3:30 p.m. March 9, 2007.

•Those students not currently attending Steele Canyon High School and wish to apply must stop by the school and fill out the 2007-08 Open/Choice Application. Applications will be available daily from 7a.m. – 3:30 p.m. beginning on Monday, February 26, through Friday, March 9, 2007. Completed application forms MUST be returned, in person, to Steele Canyon High School no later than 3:30 p.m. March 9, 2007. (You will be notified on the status of your application by March 30, 2007.)

•Returning students will receive the Returning Student Enrollment Form and accompanying materials packet the first week in May during their block 2 class to be returned to Steele Canyon High School on May18,21,or22,2007, between 7:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.

•Approved incoming ninth grade students will have the New Student Enrollment Form and accompanying materials packet mailed to their homes the third week in May to be returned to Steele Canyon High School on June13or20,2007, between 4 and 7 p.m.

Public Lottery Procedures Followed for 2007-2008

•SCHS Registrar entered the Open/Choice Applications for enrollment that were received during the posted term of February 26, 2007, through March 9, 2007, into the computer.

•Each application had an issued number in order from 1 to the final applicant in their respective category and placed on a list.

•The applicants’ names were then cut into individual strips of paper remaining in the categories from the Admissions Requirements within the Charter documentations.

•Each category of applicants’ names (strips of paper) were then placed in sealed, labeled envelopes and locked in a cabinet until the Public Lottery was held.

•The date of the Public Lottery was posted on the Steele Canyon Charter website and commenced on Monday, March 26, 2007, at 3:00 p.m. as posted.

•Two Board members, the School Registrar, staff members, and an adult community member in good standing (who is not employed by Steele Canyon High School and has no students in the school) were present to conduct the Lottery.

•All names from each category were pulled out of the hat according to the guidelines listed on the Admissions Requirement page that was given at the time of application to each applicant. Additional copies of the Admission Requirements handout were also in the room.

•Names were pulled one at a time until each name was taped on the waiting list in the order they were randomly pulled from the hat. The hat was then turned over and checked by hand to ensure that no names were left remaining.

•The public members present were notified that the waiting list would be posted on the school website by the end of the week and letters of regret or acceptance would be mailed by weeks’ end as well.

•The community member verified each envelope and certified the Lottery at the end of the process. This person initialed each page of the waiting list to verify that all names were placed on the list and signed a letter of certification.

•SCHS Registrar locked up the list in the School Registrar Office. This individual began the process of notification and updating the waiting list during the last week of March.

Facts about Steele Canyon High School, A California Charter High School,

1. SCHS is a school of choice. No student is required to attend. Students choosing not to attend Steele Canyon may attend other public schools within their home school district. SCHS will provide information about attendance alternatives to inquiring parents or students.

2. As required by the approved charter, SCHS will give admission preference to students who reside within the attendance area of the public school.

3. SCHS abides by the Caregiver California Family Code. Caregiver acceptance is subject to principal approval based on school capacity availability. SCHS abides by California affidavit of residence procedures. Acceptance is subject to principal approval based on school capacity availability.

Alpine Option Area Boundary: Late Enrollment

As per charter law (see Education Code section), parents of Alpine students retain the option of selecting Steele Canyon High School as a school option. However, the deadline has already passed for this option to have been selected for the school year 2007-08 as stated in the GUHSD letter dated February 20, 2007.

Students residing in the Grossmont Union High School District Attendance Boundaries: Late Enrollment

The deadline has already passed for this option to have been selected for school year 2007-08 per the GUHSD letter dated February 20, 2007. SCHS does not participate in the intra-district “administrative exception” process as do schools within the Grossmont Union High School District.

 

All Other Students Permitted by Law: Late Enrollment

The deadline has already past for this option. SCHS does not participate in the inter-district transfer process, as does the Grossmont Union High School District, with other school districts with the county of San Diego.

 

Title V, Part B Department of Education Non-Regulatory Guidance

Pursuant to the Federal guidance provided by the Department of Education, a charter school that is oversubscribed must use a lottery to select it students for admission. Generally, the charter school may exempt students from the lottery on the following basis: (a) students who are enrolled in a public school at the time it is converted into a public charter school; (b) siblings of students already admitted to or attending the same charter school; (c) children of a charter school’s founders (so long as this is a small percentage of the school’s enrollment); and (d) children of employees (again, so long as this is a small percentage of the school’s enrollment). Additional limited preferences are allowed by state law as approved in an individual charter.

Enrollment Of Students With Disabilities in Charter SchoolsAs put forth by the California Department of Education, Federal law and regulation prohibit any public school, including charter schools, from denying admission to any student on the basis of a disability, or the nature of or extent of a disability. More specifically, a student with disabilities must be afforded the opportunity to participate in a charter school (Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] Section 104.4(b)(1)(i); Section 504, Vocational Rehabilitation Act; Title II, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; California Government Code Section 11135; California Education Code (EC) Section 220). Further, EC Section 47605(d)(1) states a charter school “shall not discriminate against any pupil on the basis of…disability.” “A charter school shall admit all pupils who wish to attend [charter] school” (EC Section 47605(d)(2)(A)) except as provided by those provisions related to a public random drawing (emphasis added). Despite the existence or lack of a program for a student with disabilities at a charter school, enrollment may not be denied (CFR Section 104.4(b)(3); EC Section 47646(a)).

As California public schools, charter schools are subject to Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, as amended in 2004 (IDEA). Students with disabilities attending charter schools and their families retain all rights under IDEA (34 CFR Section 300.209(a)). Students with disabilities enrolled in charter schools must receive services in the same manner and to the same extent as other schools (34 CFR Section 300.209(b)(1)(i)). To assure adequate resources, monies apportioned for the purposes of special education must be expended exclusively for special education programs (EC Section 56836.04(b)).