Admission Requirements and Rights

In the event that there are more children seeking enrollment in Downtown Value School than there is space available, students will be admitted according to the following priorities:

Lottery Exemptions

Students currently attending Downtown Value School will be exempt from the lottery.

Lottery Preferences

1. Students living within LAUSD boundaries are given first preference in the lottery.
2. Additional preferences will be awarded in the following order:
   1. Siblings of children currently enrolled in the school
   2. Children of the school’s staff or board members up to 10% of enrollment

Admissions Process

1. Parents who are seeking to enroll a new student in the school submit a lottery application. These lottery applications are available at the school and on the school’s website throughout the school year for the following school year.
2. The lottery application requests the student name, parent contact information, the grade level for which admission is sought, the birth date of the student and information that would indicate whether the student is eligible for preference in the lottery. It also lists the date, time, and place of the lottery.
3. On or about January 15th parents of students who are currently enrolled are asked if they plan to have their children return in the following year. If they say “yes,” or fail to return the Parent Intent to Re-Enroll Form asking about their plans, those students are counted as returning for the purpose of calculating the number of available seats in each grade.
4. Open enrollment period ends on the Monday before the lottery draw date.
5. A lottery draw is held on the second Thursday in February, with the specific date and location listed on the lottery application. Attendance at the lottery is not required for admission to the school. The lottery is held at the school.
6. If the number of applicants at any grade level does not cause the enrollment of that grade level to reach its capacity, all the applicants are accepted.
7. If the number of applicants with preferences at any grade level does not cause the enrollment of that grade level to reach its capacity, all those students are accepted.
8. If the number of applicants with lottery preferences exceeds the available seats on the lottery date, a lottery is conducted by the school administration by randomly drawing names of only the applicants on the list of students with preferences, in the order of priority listed. Those names drawn first are accepted for admission and the other applicants on this list are placed on a waiting list in the order their names are drawn.
9. Once the waiting list of students with lottery preferences is established, the school administration randomly draws names from the remaining applicant pool and places them on a waiting list in the order the names are drawn.
10. Once all seats are filled and a waiting list established, applications are still accepted, and assigned a waiting list number in the order in which they are received.
11. Only after a student has been accepted in the school is the family asked to complete a registration form, by which the school obtains information required for enrollment.
12. One staff member chosen by the faculty and one designated parent representative chosen by the PTO Board oversee lottery procedures, and verify that procedures were fairly executed. District representatives are invited to attend lottery drawing.

1. Before a student attends Downtown Value School for the first time, a Registration Form must be completed for that student to complete the admissions process. The school secretary notifies those selected for admission, in the order of their lottery draw. If the secretary is unable to reach a parent directly, the secretary will leave a message asking the parent to call for an appointment. If the parent fails to respond within two business days, that student loses his/her place and is moved to the end of the waiting list.
2. At the time of the contact an appointment is scheduled for the parent to complete the Registration Form. If the parent fails to keep the appointment and does not reschedule, that student loses his/her place and is moved to the end of the waiting list. Appropriate accommodations are made for parents/guardians who cannot attend an appointment, including submitting the Registration Form by mail.
3. As noted in “Admissions Process” above, attendance at the lottery is not required for admission to the Charter School. Parents may contact the Charter School main office to learn the outcome of their child’s lottery application, i.e., admission or place on a waiting list.

1. The waiting list governs the order in which openings are filled.
2. If a parent applies after the lottery and all seats for a given grade have been filled, the parent is orally notified at the time of application of the approximate position that the student will be assigned on the waiting list.
3. If a seat becomes available at a later date due to the departure of an enrolled student, the school secretary calls parents in the order of placement on the list. Parents are directed to contact the school within one business day to indicate interest in the position.

Downtown Value School maintains in the cumulative files of admitted students a record of how they were selected for admission (e.g., a sibling of a current student or lottery) for as long as the student continues in enrollment at the school. If the student leaves the school before graduating, the record of how the student was selected is removed from the student personnel file and filed with the records of those students not selected in the year the student was admitted.

Downtown Value School maintains for three years a file with the lottery applications for those students not selected for admission. Filed lottery applications indicate the date the application was received, the date of lottery and the waiting list number if one was assigned. A copy of any admission-related correspondence between a family and the school is appended to the filed application.

After the student has been admitted, parents are offered the opportunity to meet with Downtown Value School’s principal or designee. In the conference the Charter School’s expectations for both the student and parent are outlined. Parents are encouraged to identify their children’s current strengths, interests, needs, and potential challenges. They are also asked to identify the challenges they may face in their role as partners in their child’s success at Downtown Value School. The principal guides the parent through possible solutions to these challenges and describes the parent supports provided by DVS. The conference includes an invitation to parents to make a commitment to support the core values and to cooperate with DVS in the formation of the student in these values. As appropriate to their age and grade level, students may also be encouraged to join the parent at the conference and also encouraged to make a commitment to the core values.

Parent orientation and education about the five Values continues at parent gatherings such as PTO meetings, parent/teacher conferences, and “Coffee/Tea with the Principal” events. Consistent with Downtown Value School’s belief that parents are partners in the education of their children, these meetings are used to help parents understand their role in assisting in their children’s education.

Downtown Value School shall adhere to the provisions of the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and ensure that each child of a homeless individual and each homeless youth has equal access to the same free, appropriate public education as provided to other children and youths. Downtown Value School shall provide specific information, in its outreach materials, websites, at community meetings, open forums, and regional center meetings, that notifies parents that Downtown Value School is open to enroll and provide services for all students, and provides a standard District contact number for access to additional information regarding enrollment. Downtown Value School shall comply with all applicable state law regarding homeless and foster youth, including but not limited to the provisions of AB 379 (2015) and Chapter 5.5 (commencing with Section 48850) of Part 27 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code, as amended from time to time. Downtown Value School shall extend its uniform complaint procedure to complaints filed pursuant to the applicable provisions of AB 379.

Downtown Value School shall maintain complete and accurate records of its annual admissions and enrollment processes, including but not limited to documentation of implementation of lottery and waitlist criteria and procedures in accordance with the terms of the Charter. These records shall be made available to the District upon request.