Attached is a 2000-2001 School Choice eligibility listing. The listing shows the following:
1. Each county in the state by alphabetical order.
2. Each school district within each county by alphabetical order.
3. PARTICIPANT- Y or N indicates that the district is or is not participating as a choice district.
4. ELIGIBILITY CODE
Code 1 indicates that the district is eligible under Ark. Code Ann. 6-18-206 (g) (1), "No student may transfer to a nonresident district where the percentage of enrollment for the student's race exceeds that percentage in his resident district except in the circumstances set forth in Subdivision (2) of this subsection."
Code 2 indicates that the district is eligible under Ark. Code Ann. 6-18-206 (g) (2), "A transfer to a district is exempt from the restriction set forth above if all districts within a county have voted to participate in choice and the transfer is between two (2) districts within a county, and if the black and white percentages of school enrollment in both the sending and receiving district remain within an acceptable range of the county's overall black and white percentages of school population as set forth by the Arkansas Department of Education."
Code 3 indicates that the district is eligible under Ark. Code Ann. 6-18-206 (g) (4), "A transfer is exempt from the restriction set forth in (1) of this subsection if each school district within the county does not have a critical mass of minority students of more than ten percent (10%) of any single race."
5. PERCENT STUDENTS K-12 - Determined from the October 1, 2000, student enrollment report.
6. COUNTY RACIAL BALANCE - Percent of black and white students in the county.
7. BLACK ACCEPTABLE RANGE - Acceptable range as outlined in
Ark. Code Ann. 6-18-206 (g) (3).
The following are reminders:
* April 17, 2001, is the deadline for parents to submit applications to school districts. July 1, 2001, is the deadline for applications that would further the desegregation efforts of the nonresident district.
* The law presumes each district participates in School Choice, unless there is a local school board action to the contrary.
* Participating districts must advertise.
** THE 1999 LEGISLATIVE SESSION REPEALED SECTION (e) OF
ARK. CODE ANN. 6-18-206.
** This bill (HB 772) has been filed in this session, pending legislation, if it is passed, it should not affect school year 2001-2002.