Initial Student Assignment Policy and Procedure

Policy

1. Every student will be assigned ASAP to an ES in their local area who has available space and that serves their grade level according to the agreement signed when interviewed for the ES position. (Parent requests will be honored if at all possible, based on the areas that the ES has agreed to serve as well as their available space.).

2. If an ES is not available in a geographic area, we will attempt to hire another ES to serve that area ASAP. We may ask any school ES with a space to serve this student until a new ES in their area is cleared to work, in order to not delay a student’s enrollment.

3. Students will be assigned first-come first-served within their geographic area. ESs need to wait to do enrollment paperwork with a student until they are placed on their prospective list. (ESs: Do not have any parents fill out a Student Agreement form or inform anyone that they are enrolled in the school until that student is officially placed on your ES prospective list and you have been notified by the office of this placement with an email.).

4. We expect our ESs to professionally represent the school. Personal recruitment of students assigned to another ES is not allowed. Working with another ES to effect transfers that benefit both of the ESs and our service to the students should be done only through your ES Advisors.

Assignment Procedure

1. Student Assignments will assign a prospective student ASAP to a local ES with an available space, taking into consideration only the following initial criteria:

1. The ES requested by the parent on the student enrollment application is considered first. (This does not mean that ES MUST necessarily serve that student, but that they have first chance to serve that student if they wish and if there is another ES to take that student if they do not want to serve them.)
2. ES service Zip codes sent by the ES to the office (changes to area a new ES agrees to serve when hired may not be changed for 1 school year).
3. ES desired count (No ES will be required to serve any more students than they wish to serve, after they have the minimum number of students. Allowances can be made for ESs who are officially STRS retirees and therefore have external work limits placed on them. It is the ESs responsibility to keep their desired student count up to date with their advisors.)
4. Grade level and gender requests will be honored, except in an emergency placement situation (see policy #2 above).
5. Students who have no ES request attached to them will be placed with ESs who have open spaces in order of ES seniority. (Note: Submitting a limited zip code list may mean newer ESs receive students before a veteran ES who does not serve that zip code, buy may serve the same general geographic area. If you feel you should be receiving students and you are not, contact your advisor for help.)

2. The ES assigned a prospective student will attempt to make contact with the family to set up the enrollment meeting within 3 workdays. If contact cannot be made, the ES should leave phone messages and mail the ES Contact letter to the family, allowing 1 week (1 month in the summer) for the family to respond to a written request for a meeting. Consult with your ES Advisor for advice with an unusual situation. (Remember to use the emergency contact information, if necessary.)

3. ESs should not enroll and then attempt to transfer problem students (truancy or safety issues). Instead, inform and then work with your ES Advisor to follow normal procedures to deal with these situations. A list of questions to discuss during the initial meeting is available for your use. Please use the family’s responses to these questions to counsel them as to whether or not this school can meet their expectations prior to completing enrollment paperwork. If you are having a conversation with a prospective family, and something concerns you, you need to tell the parent your concern, and give them a chance to address the issue. You may tell the family you would like to include your Advisor in the conversation as well, and give them a call on your cell phone while at the meeting. The parent should not be surprised that you have a concern, but be a part of deciding if this school will work for them.

For example: A parent states they both work full-time and the students are 3rd and 5th grade levels. You should express your concern that the students will need supervision in their studies during the day while the parents are away, and ask the parent how they plan to address this issue. If they have a workable plan, then continue the enrollment process. If they had thought you would stop by everyday to see them, let them know this school may not be for them. If they have an older sibling or neighbor who will be involved, and you are not sure of this arrangement, call your advisor and include them in the discussion. Special Ed reminder: Special Ed students have already been approved for enrollment by the Special Ed Dept if it was noted on your assignment email. If not, and anything to suggest special ed comes up in the conversation, stop the enrollment and contact your advisor for advice.

4. Within 2 weeks of the prospective student being assigned to an ES during the school year or 1 month during the summer, the ES will email one of these if:

a. Student Assignments (stuassign1@ieminc.org) with the following information:

i. The assignment was made in error. (Examples: you suspect the student is special ed and the enrollment process was stopped; the assignment is for a school you do not serve, etc.)

ii. You have a valid reason for refusing this student (lowering your numbers, changing zip codes, expecting a sibling you forgot to enter on your planned list, etc).

iii. The parent tells you they will not be enrolling for another month or so. The student will stay on your list for enrollment when they are ready to enroll, but the office needs to know why you are not meeting your 2 week deadline for submitting the paperwork.

iv. The parent tells you they do not wish to enroll until next year. The assignment will be removed to free your space for another student.

b. Or SA@ieminc.org with the following information:

i. The student is not enrolling; give the reason. (Note: This does not mean that you do not want to take this assignment [see 4 a ii above], but that the parent has told you they changed their mind and do not wish to enroll in the school—not now or anytime in the near future.)

c. Your Advisor with the following information:

i. The normal process has been followed and the ES has been unable to make contact with the family. Detail your attempts to contact the family. Your advisor will let you know when you can contact SA to indicate the student is not enrolling.

ii. The student lives in a dangerous neighborhood and would not agree to meet the ES in a neutral location. Your advisor will attempt to negotiate on your behalf in this situation.

d. Student Records (stuchange@ieminc.org) with the following information:

ii. The family has or will be moving or has changed phone numbers. Provide new contact information.

iii. The family has moved out of the school’s service area.

5. The ES is expected to meet with the students, do enrollment paperwork, place initial orders for educational material, and answer basic school questions. At that time, if the ES decides they do not want to continue to serve this student based on the allowable criteria listed in transfer/drop policy ( http://www.sscs.cc/Handbook/transferdrops/transferiem.htm) , they enter a “Planned transfer”( http://www.sscs.cc/Handbook/transferdrops/plannedlists.htm) in ES Webfiles for this student. The ES must continue to serve the student until the transfer is approved, processed, and you receive an email notification of the transfer and the effective date. If an ES is not currently available to take the transfer students immediately, the school will start the process to hire another ES in that location. Meanwhile, the current ES is expected to serve the students.