By Times Staff Writers
Published November 16, 2003
The choice process continues to confuse parents even after the deadline.
District officials have reported that the choice application summaries they are mailing to parents to recap the schools they chose for their children are being mistaken for school assignments.
In some cases, said choice spokeswoman Andrea Zahn, parents are circling one of the schools in the summary and sending the list back to the district.
"We're basically letting them know this is the information that is put into the computer," Zahn said. "All it is is a record for their files for them to keep to show what we received from them."
There has been no change in the choice timeline, she explained. Family Education and Information Center personnel are still typing applications into the computer. The actual computer match is still scheduled to run in January. Parents should not expect to receive school assignments until after Feb. 1.
The only parents who need to do anything at this point are the 1,000 or so who received letters telling them their applications have errors.
Parents who selected schools outside their attendance area have been sent a list of schools from which they can choose and another application form. They do not have to return their corrected applications in person.
Parents who chose schools for incoming children without registering them with the district have been notified that they must come to a family center with documentation including the child's birth certificate. Parents who submitted a choice application for a sibling of a child already in school with an address that does not match the one in the district's computer also must visit a family center with proof of residence.
The deadline for parents to correct any of these errors is Monday.
A question also has arisen regarding the acceptance process for career academies, magnet and fundamental schools, Zahn said. A parent was wondering if she could call the automated phone system during the acceptance period - Dec. 1 through Dec. 10 - and check to see if her child has been invited to a program without accepting the invitation at that point.
Yes, Zahn said, parents will be able to call 501-0871 and go to Option 1, which will tell them the status of the applications they submitted. They can hang up if they wish to discuss their possibilities. But they must call back before 5 p.m. on Dec. 10 to accept a seat if one is offered or they will lose it.
