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By Times staff writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published June 6, 2001
Today is the last day to enroll in Pinellas County schools for students who want to be guaranteed a certain elementary, middle and high school track under the new "choice" system that begins in 2003.
Starting with the 2003-2004 year, the district will be divided into attendance areas, parents and students will pick their top few school choices, and a computer will process the choices.
But School Board members decided that any student who is enrolled in Pinellas schools as of the end of today, the last day of school, can forgo the choice system and continue on his currently zoned elementary, middle and high school track.
That answered concerns of parents who said they bought their home to be near certain schools and still wanted to be able to attend those schools after choice starts.
There's a hitch: to be eligible for "extended grandfathering," parents will have to stay at the same address from today through the end of their children's public school education.