Monday is the last day for school choice applications for the next school year.
By DONNA WINCHESTER
Published October 31, 2004
The deadline for school choice is now only hours away.
Pinellas County parents have until the end of the day Monday to apply for choice attendance area schools and countywide magnet, fundamental and high school career academy programs for the 2005-06 school year.
Families with children entering a Pinellas public school for the first time in August must register at a Family Education and Information Center before making school choices. The centers at 3420 Eighth Ave. S in St. Petersburg and 1101 Marshall St. in Clearwater will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday.
To register, parents must bring the child's birth certificate, proof of residency and the child's latest report card and Social Security number. Once the child has been registered, parents can choose five schools in their attendance area.
Students will be matched to schools in a random computer match process. The district will inform parents of their school assignments in writing in February.
Some current fifth- and eighth-graders must apply for a school as well. Included are students who do not have extended grandfathering or who choose not to use it.
Those students can use a paper application that can be faxed or delivered to a family center. Or they can use their student ID number to apply by calling 501-0871 by 5 p.m. Monday or the PIN number the district mailed to them to apply online until midnight Monday.
Parents who want to apply to a countywide program can do so until 5 p.m. by calling the district's automated phone system, 501-0871.
