DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 2011 Reassignment of Duquesne High School Students [40 Pa.B. 5823]
[Saturday, October 9, 2010]Under section 1607.1(a)(1) of the Public School Code of 1949 (code) (24 P. S. § 16-1607.1(a)(1)) regarding distressed school districts and student attendance in other districts, in 2007, then-Secretary Gerald Zahorchak designated two school districts to accept high school students from the Duquesne City School District (Duquesne) on a tuition basis, effective at the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year. The two designated school districts were the East Allegheny School District (East Allegheny) and the West Mifflin Area School District (West Mifflin).
As required by 24 P. S. § 16-1607.1(c), the Department of Education (Department) provides the following information regarding the assignment of Duquesne's current 8th grade students. Duquesne shall assign students who complete the 8th grade in 2011 to the East Allegheny and West Mifflin Districts for the 2011-2012 school year.
The per pupil tuition rates that the designated districts shall receive, for the 2010-2011 school year, are $9,404.70 for East Allegheny and $9,669.96 for West Mifflin Area High School. The per pupil tuition rates that the designated districts shall receive, for the 2011-2012 school year, will be established when the data become available in the summer of 2011.
High School Selection—Important Dates January 27, 2011—West Mifflin Area High School Student Tour
February 1, 2011—East Allegheny High School Student Tour
February 2, 2011—Parent Information Meeting, Duquesne Education Center
February 9, 2011, at 3 p.m.—Deadline to return School Selection Cards to Duquesne Education Center Elementary Office
February 11, 2011—Lottery (if necessary)
Week of February 14, 2011—Parents notified of their child's placement
Student Selection Process per Legislative Mandate 1. Which high schools are available?
Duquesne students who complete the 8th grade in 2011 will attend West Mifflin Area High School or East Allegheny High School beginning the fall of 2011.
2. Who is eligible to attend either of these high schools?
All Duquesne residents who want to continue in public school for the 2011-2012 school year are eligible to participate in the selection process—this includes current 8th grade students who will be entering 9th grade in the fall of 2011.
Private, religious or charter school students first need to register as Duquesne students at the Duquesne Education Center office to be eligible to take part in the selection process.
3. How will the selection process work?
After reviewing the information provided about each school, students must select either West Mifflin Area High School or East Allegheny High School as their school choice.
Each student must complete a selection card and return it to the Duquesne Education Center office by February 9, 2011, at 3 p.m.
Younger siblings of students already enrolled in a high school will get preference for that school.
If the number of students selecting a school exceeds the determined enrollment number, then all interested students selecting that school will be placed in a lottery.
4. Selecting a high school will not be determined on a first come first serve basis.
Every student who completes and returns the school selection card during the selection process has an equal chance of getting his or her first choice school.
5. How many students will be assigned to each high school?
Section 1607.1(a)(1) of the code establishes a cap related to the maximum number of students that shall be assigned to a designated school district.
6. How will the lottery work?
If necessary, the lottery drawing will take place on Friday, February 11, 2011, at a public meeting with community members in attendance. The lottery process will be explained before the lottery takes place.
7. How does the selection work for siblings?
Siblings entering the 9th grade will attend the same high school that their older bother or sister has chosen unless a parent or guardian specifies otherwise. For this purpose, in order to be considered for sibling status, applicants must meet one of the following criteria:
a. Brothers or sisters of the same parent(s) or legal guardian(s).
b. Children that reside in the same household and have the same legal guardian.
* Legal proof of guardianship and residence is required for both instances.
8. What happens if a student does not receive his or her ''first choice'' school?
If a student is involved in the lottery drawing and does not receive the school he or she selected, then that student may choose to be put on a waiting list for their first choice school. A student's number on the waiting list will be determined by the number he or she draws in the lottery.
9. What about students who enroll in Duquesne after the selection process has taken place?
Students transferring into Duquesne after the selection process has concluded will be given a choice between West Mifflin and East Allegheny. If a student's first choice school already has students assigned up to its determined enrollment level, then he or she will be assigned to the other school. If a student wants to be placed on a waiting list for his or her first choice school, then his or her name will be added to the bottom of the waiting list below the students who took part in the selection process.
10. What happens if a student hands in a selection card after the scheduling period or does not return a selection card?
If a student does not complete and return the school selection card during the selection process, then the student will be assigned to his or her first choice only if space is available because the determined enrollment number has not been reached. If space is not available in the student's first choice school, then the student will be assigned to the other school.
THOMAS E. GLUCK,
Acting Secretary[Pa.B. Doc. No. 10-1936. Filed for public inspection October 8, 2010, 9:00 a.m.]
