Please read this entire section prior to applying for School Choice.

Informational Guidelines

School Choice Open Enrollment

The District School Board of Pasco County’s School Choice Open Enrollment initiative provides an opportunity for a Pasco County student to attend a public school outside the student’s assigned boundary area, as well as public schools in neighboring counties, as long as the requested school is not critically overcrowded. The parent/guardian of a student wishing to attend a school outside their boundary area must submit a School Choice Open Enrollment Application to the District School Board of Pasco County during the established open enrollment period. Submitting an application does not guarantee that the student will be approved to transfer to the requested school of choice.

Open Enrollment Timeline

School Choice Open Enrollment Applications for the following school year will be accepted February 1 - March 1. Applications must be received electronically no later than March 1st. Applications for multiple children, multiple schools or incomplete applications will not be considered.

• If your application was received prior to March 1 deadline, you may expect to receive notification regarding the status of your Open Enrollment School Choice request prior to the end of the current school year.

Requests to attend a Pasco County school, if you live in another county, will require a release from your HOME county. The approved release must be received within the Open Enrollment period.

Applications
School Choice Open Enrollment Applications may be completed and submitted electronically by clicking the "apply on line" link located at the end of this document.

If you have a student currently on School Choice, you do not need to reapply UNLESS:

1. Your address changed after initial approval
2. You reside outside of Pasco County
3. If the student will be moving to the next school level (Elementary to Middle OR Middle to High), OR
4. Your school was impacted by a boundary change

Notice

While the school district makes every effort to accommodate all school choice requests, many of the district schools are critically overcrowded (at or above 100% of capacity) and are deemed “frozen”.

School Choice Appeal Process

Only decisions on applications received during open enrollment (February 1 – March 1) are eligible for appeal.

Appeals must be submitted no later than four (4) business days from the date notification was sent. To register an appeal, please reply to your email notification and provide NEW information to be considered. Please understand that every effort was made to accommodate open enrollment/school choice requests. Appeals may only be submitted in writing. We will read and respond to all email correspondence in a timely manner.

Transportation
Transportation to a school that is outside the student’s attendance zone is the responsibility of the parent/guardian.

Athletics

The District’s middle and high school interscholastic athletic program adheres to the rules and policies of the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA). The FHSAAs’ new state statue, with regards to student athletes, as of August 1, 2016, is as follows:

1. Upon school choice approval, High school students will be “immediately eligible to participate” when first enrolling in school or transferring schools, with certain limiting conditions, set forth below. Mid-season transfers may seek to immediately join an existing team roster, so long as:
   1. The designated roster for the sport has not reached maximum size; and the coach determines that the student has the requisite skill and ability to participate.
   2. The student hasn’t already participated in the same sport at another school during that same school year, unless the student meets one of the following:
      • A dependent child of active-duty military personnel whose move resulted from military orders;
      • A child who has been relocated due to foster care placement in a different school zone;
      • A child who moved due to a court-ordered change in custody due to separation or divorce, or the serious illness or death of a custodial parent; or
      • Otherwise authorized to participate for good cause, as determined by Board policy or charter school policy
2. “Eligible to participate” is defined as including the required medical forms and has expanded to include off-season conditioning, summer workouts, and preseason conditioning, regardless of whether the student has been placed on a team.
3. Non-member, small private schools (125 students or fewer) may now participate at zoned public school in whatever sport(s) their private school does not offer.
4. Individual Home Education, Charter School, Florida Virtual School (FLVSFT), or Pasco eSchool full-time student, who otherwise meets the criteria, is eligible to participate at the public school to which the student would be assigned to attend by the district school board. Please reference HB 7029 for more detailed information.

For more information on the policy and/or procedures, visit your school or district website or contact your schools’ athletic director. You may also reference School Board Policy 2431.01 (currently under revision pending School Board Approval in August 2016)  

CTE Academy and School Choice

Students wishing to enroll in a CTE Academy at a school other than their zoned school must apply to the program prior to filing a school choice request. Please contact the school of choice and follow their requirements for acceptance into a CTE Academy.

A School Choice Application must be received and processed for the student to attend that school for the entire day. Students may not apply for the School Choice option if the CTE Academy or Program of Study in which they wish to enroll exists at the student’s home school.

Applications for School Choice transfers made on the basis of an Academy/Program of Study must reflect the Academy/Program of Study that is closest to their zoned school.

Requests for residents of neighboring counties to attend a Pasco County School
The Pasco County application must be submitted to the Office for Educational Choice, electronically, during the open enrollment timeline (February 1 through March 1).

Requests to attend a Pasco County school, if you live in another county, will require a release from your HOME county. The approved release must be received within the Open Enrollment period. If your release is not received during this time period, processing will be delayed.

Applications that do not have a release from your HOME county will not be considered.

Parental Agreement/Information
If enrollment at a school of choice is determined to negatively impact the student’s education, school choice approval may be revoked.

Your signature on the School Choice-Open Enrollment Application indicates that you have read, understand, and agree to all of the terms and conditions regarding the District School Board of Pasco County School Choice Open Enrollment Program. Furthermore, by signing this you are verifying that you have legal authority to make educational decisions for this student and all information you have provided on this application is true and correct. Any incorrect or false information provided in reference to this application will be grounds for denial or immediate revocation of school choice approval.

The District School Board of Pasco County School Choice Open Enrollment Plan approved by the School Board and the Florida Department of Education can accessed online.

School Choice Open Enrollment Questions and Answers for Parents

For questions regarding policies and procedures or questions regarding the completion of the application, please contact the Office for Educational Choice via email at schoolchoice@pasco.k12.fl.us.

Please print a copy of these guidelines for your records before continuing to Apply On-Line.