Several weeks ago the school administration informed parents that it was changing its policy regarding the siblings of incoming first graders as it relates to neighborhood schools and program (ie French or English) registration. Parents were told that siblings of students already in a school would no longer be grandfathered into the same school. All students would enter a lottery should a program be oversubscribed. It has reversed that decision. The original policy is back in effect. Students with a sibling already in a neighborhood school will be grandfathered into that same school independent of program they choose.

Last year just over 50% of incoming 1st graders chose to enter the French Immersion program. This introduced some logistical issues for the administration. Each elementary school has only so many seats for French or English. If a given school has more students desiring a program than seats, where do they go? To address this the school set up a lottery. Students would be assigned by lottery if there were more students than chairs.Those stuents would then be assigned to a school with empty seats in the selected program. Those students with a sibling already in the school, however, would automatically go to the same school. They would not enter the lottery.

The school changed that policy and earlier this month stating all students would enter the lottery. That did not go over well. One especially distraught parent appeared before the school committee to voice her concerns, explaining how hard it is for working parents to arrange pickups for children in different parts of town etc. According to one school committee person we spoke with the administration received a great number of emails challenging the change in policy.

The administration listened and changed it back. In a letter to parents of incoming students, Superintendent Gormley wrote:

This e-mail/letter is to inform you that the first grade student assignment process will revert back to last year’s process. Preference for open seats will be as follows:

• First tier will include kindergarteners with older siblings in the school.
• Second tier will include all kindergarteners who have attended a Milton Public School kindergarten.
• Third tier will include all students new to the Milton Public Schools.

All French Immersion first grade classes will be capped at 26 students and English classes capped at 22 students. If there is an over enrollment in the French Immersion program beyond the number of seats available, a school–based lottery will be held. All existing seats in each of our French Immersion first grades must be filled before an auxiliary class is created. If an auxiliary class is needed, it will be at the Cunningham Elementary School for the 2011-12 school year. Students who are not selected to attend the French Immersion Program in their home school will be given the choice of English in their home school, French Immersion in another school, or (if necessary) French Immersion in the
auxiliary class.

You can find the full text of Ms. Gormley’s letter here. Calls seeking comment on this have not yet been returned.