Recommendations For Parents and Students

Recommendations For Parents and Students

1. Review your charter school’s enrollment forms, handbook, and other materials to ensure that the school does not have any illegal or exclusionary policies or practices that may discourage enrollment, including:

• G.P.A. or other academic requirements or minimums
• A minimum level of English proficiency
• Questions regarding citizenship, immigration status, or country of birth of students or parents/guardians
• Questions about prior suspensions, arrest records, or disciplinary history other than expulsion
• Mandatory submission of Social Security numbers or birth certificates
• Pre-enrollment essays, tours, orientations or interviews
• Parent/guardian donation, volunteer or buyout requirements

2. If your charter school has an illegal or exclusionary policy, first contact the school’s administration or charter network and ask them to change their policy. If you speak to them over the phone or in person, ask for the individual’s name and be sure to follow up in writing. If they do not change the policy, you should file a complaint with the school’s authorizer, like the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools. Please also inform the ACLU of Arizona of the illegal or exclusionary policies by emailing demand2learn@acluaz.org.