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DONNA WINCHESTER, Times staff writerWith 31 schools, Pinellas parents have many options. But all may not be available to everyone.
OVERVIEW: There are 31 schools in Pinellas County for middle school children. Twenty of them are choice attendance area schools, spread over three attendance areas. They are open to all children who live within the attendance area, as long as the school has room and is in compliance with a federal court order that mandates the ratio of black to nonblack students. Some choice attendance area schools for middle schoolers have special programs designed by the schools to make them attractive to parents. (Please see information about school attractors on Page .)
There are three ways to apply to choice attendance area schools, but not everyone can use each option. (Please see the procedures for applying to choice attendance area schools on Page .)
MAGNET SCHOOLS: Two of the choice attendance area schools - the Center for Advancement of the Sciences and Technology at Bay Point Middle School and the Center for the Arts and Communication Studies at John Hopkins Middle School, both in St. Petersburg - have countywide seats. Known as magnet schools, they offer a specialized area of study and are open to students across the county. Many of the available seats are filled during the magnet application period, but a percentage of the seats at each school are reserved for children who live in the attendance area.
Parents who live in Attendance Area A (please see map, Page ) can apply for a magnet seat or a choice attendance area seat or both. (These are just two ways of getting in; once admitted, the student is treated the same.)
Families who live outside Attendance Area A may apply only for the magnet seats.
Admission to most middle school magnet programs depends on achievement test scores and grade point averages. Children who gain seats in the countywide lottery must still meet school requirements before they can be admitted.
The only way parents may apply for magnet schools is by using an automated phone system. (Please see the procedure for applying to countywide programs on Page .)
FUNDAMENTAL SCHOOLS: There are two countywide fundamental schools for middle school children: Southside Fundamental in St. Petersburg and Coachman Fundamental in Clearwater. They stress discipline and parental involvement, and children may be asked to leave if they do not comply with fundamental school policy, or if their parents fail to attend regularly scheduled meetings.
The only way parents may apply for these fundamental schools is by using an automated phone system. (Please see the procedure for applying to countywide programs on Page .)
In addition to the countywide fundamental schools, Thurgood Marshall Fundamental Middle School in St. Petersburg serves children in Attendance Area A only. (Please see map, Page .) Parents may use a choice attendance area schools application to apply to Thurgood Marshall. (Please see the procedures for applying to choice attendance area schools on Page .)
GIFTED PROGRAMS: Several choice attendance area schools offer special programs for gifted middle school children. Beginning in the sixth grade, mathematically gifted students are eligible for the Mathematics Education for Gifted Secondary School Students, or MEGSSS, program. Gifted seventh- and eighth-graders are eligible for the Integrated Mathematics and Science with Technology, or IMAST, program.
Schools that offer MEGSSS and IMAST are Bay Point, Carwise, Kennedy, Meadowlawn, Pinellas Park, Safety Harbor, Seminole and Tarpon Springs middle schools. Azalea and Tyrone middle schools and Southside Fundamental offer IMAST only.
EXCEPTIONAL STUDENT EDUCATION: Middle school students with special needs are served in both self-contained classrooms and in classrooms where they learn along with general education students. Customer service representatives at the Family Education and Information Centers can tell parents about their options.
Additionally, five centers exist solely for middle school children with physical, mental and learning disabilities: Hamilton Disston Exceptional Student Education Center in Gulfport, Richard L. Sanders School in Pinellas Park and Calvin Hunsinger Exceptional Student Education Center in Clearwater serve emotionally disturbed students from kindergarten through Grade 12. Nina Harris Exceptional Student Education Center in Pinellas Park and Paul B. Stephens Exceptional Center in Clearwater serve mentally and physically disabled students from prekindergarten to age 22. Parents can learn more about these programs at www.pinellas.k12.fl.us/ESE/
DROPOUT PREVENTION: Two schools classified as intermediate schools offer dropout prevention programs for fifth- through eighth-graders. Students who are failing, have been retained or might be, have low test scores or grades or have been frequently absent from school can attend Clearwater Intermediate if they live north of Ulmerton Road or Lealman Intermediate if they live south of Ulmerton Road.
DISCIPLINARY SCHOOLS: Middle school students who commit "zero tolerance" offenses - primarily those concerning drugs, alcohol or weapons - are reassigned to North Ward Secondary School in St. Petersburg or Safety Harbor Secondary School in Safety Harbor for one semester or more.