The MCS School Board passed a minimal rezoning plan for the 2022-23 school year including zone waiver changes for all students currently attending any MCS school. Students currently attending a MCS school on a zone waiver should reapply for zone waivers during the priority period of February 28-March 11. Any zone waivers submitted after the priority period will be subject to approval through a lottery system as directed by a new state law (referenced at the end of this page).  To ensure your zone waiver is considered, it is important to submit your waiver during the priority period.

Please carefully review the dates and details below for changes that may affect your child.

Timeframe for waivers:

• Priority Waivers – February 28 through March 11
• All Other Waivers – April 1 – May 1 (lottery system)

Open Zone Schools for 2022-23

Erma Siegel, John Pittard, Mitchell-Neilson, Northfield, Bradley, Reeves-Rogers, Hobgood

Closed Zone Schools for 2022-23

Overall Creek, Salem, Scales, Cason Lane, Black Fox, Discovery

Zone Waiver Instructions

• Print the out-of-zone waiver application and answer questions completely. (Please complete one waiver per child.) Zone waivers without a reason listed will be denied.
• Carefully read, date and sign the Declaration of Understanding.
• Take this completed application to the school you want your child to attend for the principal to review.

ZONE WAIVER FORM 2022-2023

Where’s my Zone?

Click this link to see your zoned school for 2022-23.

MAP MY HOME

Grandfathering and Sibling Attendance Plan

GRANDFATHERING RULE:

• If rezoned to a new school, rising 5^th and 6^th grade in-city students may remain in their current school or attend their new zoned school. If they remain in their current school, no transportation service would be available for this option. Students can complete their elementary schooling at the school if they can provide their own transportation and if MCS has the type of class offered to appropriately educate the student.
• For Salem Elementary, the grandfathering rule would apply to rising 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th graders who reside in the city limits. This ensures the district is not moving a student to more than 2 schools during their elementary years.

SIBLING RULE (Grandfathered Students):

• Younger siblings who have a sibling taking advantage of the grandfathering option can attend the grandfathered school along with the sibling as long as both were in the school when this zoning plan was implemented (2022-2023). The younger siblings can remain in the grandfathered school as long as the grandfathered student remains at the school and MCS has the type of class offered to appropriately educate the student.  No transportation service will be available for this option if they remain out-of-zone under the sibling rule.

Out-of-Zone Waivers

• Salem, Overall Creek, Cason Lane, Black Fox, and Scales will be considered closed zone schools and will not accept or renew any out-of-city waivers for the 2022-2023 school year unless it is attached to MCS employment. Rising in-city 5^th and 6^th grade students and rising out-of-city 5^th graders on zone waivers will follow the grandfathering rule outlined above.
• These students may apply for a zone waiver at another open-zone MCS school with available space that is accepting waivers.
• Proposed Open Zone Schools: Bradley, Erma Siegel, Hobgood, John Pittard, Mitchell-Neilson, Northfield, Reeves-Rogers.

OUT-OF-ZONE RULE:  (Applies to all students grandfathering or following a sibling)

• Grandfathered and sibling students will require an “Out-of-Zone Waiver” form to be filled out each year to go through the out-of-zone evaluation process. Students attending an out-of-zone school have to meet specific criteria to maintain the out-of-zone privilege.  Students not meeting the criteria will forfeit their out-of-zone status and be reassigned to their zoned school or another MCS school as determined by the district.

GRANDFATHERING AND SIBLING ATTENDANCE PLAN

New Tennessee Law Referenced in Parent Letters Overview

(overview from TSBA)

Last year, the General Assembly passed Public Chapter 479. This law goes into effect for the 2022-2023 school year. During this legislative session, the General Assembly is poised to take further action on this topic.

Public Chapter 479 requires districts to make changes to their open enrollment policies and practices. To comply with the law, districts must take the following actions:

1. Identify each school that has space to serve additional students;
2. Post the number of spaces available for enrollment at least 14 days prior to the open enrollment period. This number of spaces is not required to include those reserved for students who may transfer to the district in the coming year, students who have a sibling enrolled at the respective school, or students who may have a parent who teaches at the respective school;
3. Conduct an open enrollment period of at least 30 days before the start of the school year; and
4. If the number of applications for transfer exceeds the number of spaces available, then the district must conduct a lottery to select the students who will be chosen to transfer.

Below is a link to the text of the law.
https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/acts/112/pub/pc0479.pdf