Students in Portage la Prairie residing in the areas bounded by:

1. Saskatchewan Avenue, 16^th Street S.W. (both sides), Crescent Road, and 4^th Street S.W. (west side of the street);
2. The western city limits, Saskatchewan Avenue, the railway tracks, and 4^th Street N.W. (west side of the street).

Students in Portage la Prairie residing in the area bounded by the northern and western city limits, the railway tracks to the south, and the middle of Tupper Street North, to the east.

Students in Portage la Prairie residing north of the railway tracks and between the eastern and western city limits.

Students in Portage la Prairie residing in the area bounded by the eastern and northern city limits, the middle of Tupper Street North, and the railway tracks.

1. Students residing in the towns of Oakville and Poplar Point.

 

2. Rural students in the area bounded by:

All students enrolled in grades 9 - 12.

1. Students in Portage la Prairie residing in the area west of, but not including, 16^th Street S.W. to the western city limits, between Crescent Road and Saskatchewan Avenue.

 

2. Rural students in the area bounded by:

1. Students in Portage la Prairie residing in the area bounded by 5^th Street N.W. and west of 4^th Street S.W., the railway tracks, the western city limits, and Crescent Road West.
2. Students from all of the rural areas included for Grades K - 6.

1. Assignment of Students

 

In keeping with Division policy the assignment of pupils eligible to register in schools within the Portage la Prairie School Division shall be at the discretion of the Board, who shall identify for each school the appropriate catchment area, and shall designate pupils within those areas to their respective schools. Variations to these assignments shall be permitted only in accordance with the provisions of this statement of administrative procedures and Board policy.

 

2. Definitions

 

Choice - is defined as the ability of a pupil to select, for attendance purposes, a school other than the closest catchment areas school with space and suitable program as that pupil’s home school.

 

Home School Division - is the Division in which a pupil’s parent(s) or legal guardian(s) reside, or if the pupil is of the age of majority, the Division in which the pupil occupies a permanent residence.

 

Eligible Pupil - an eligible pupil is a pupil who qualifies under the regulations of Manitoba Education for provincial support while in attendance at a public school. (Pupils sponsored by an educational authority which receives primary funding from anybody other than the Government of Manitoba, are not considered to be eligible to exercise the provisions of these school of choice procedures, as the provisions for transfer of funds are not available to them).

 

Resident Pupil - a pupil who qualifies under Sections 1 of the Public Schools Act of Manitoba as a resident of the Portage la Prairie School Division.

 

Non-Resident Pupil - a pupil who is eligible to attend a public school in the Province of Manitoba but who does not meet the requirements of Section 1 of the Public School Act of Manitoba as a resident of the Portage la Prairie School Division.

 

3. Making Application to a School of Choice

 

All applications for a change of school must be made on the form authorized by Manitoba Education, and must be submitted directly to the school of choice no later than May 15^th of the Spring term, for school assignment effective with the commencement of the next following Fall term. A school shall have no obligation to consider late applications.

 

When a pupil/parent/legal guardian is applying for consideration at more than one school, all schools shall be named on an attachment affixed to all applications.

 

When a school agrees to accept a non-resident pupil who has made late application to a school of choice, it shall do so only when the home division has agreed to send the transfer fee for the pupil, or the parents or legal guardians have agreed to pay an equivalent fee to the Portage la Prairie School Division.

 

4. Consideration Processes for Pupils Wishing to Exercise School of Choice

For the purposes of these procedures, all applications from pupils exercising school of choice will be considered on a first-received, first-reviewed and considered basis, except that applications from resident pupils shall be reviewed and considered for placement before those received from non-resident pupils.

 

Any school receiving an application for school of choice must advise the parent(s)/legal guardian(s), receiving/home School Division/District Office and the sending school no later than June 30^th whether or not the pupil has been accepted.

 

4.1 Pupils wishing to exercise school of choice will:

 

1. First priority: resident, catchment area pupils;
2. Second priority: pupils previously approved to attend the school in accordance with these procedures;
3. Third priority: resident pupils residing outside the catchment area of the school wishing to attend the school as a school of choice; and
4. Fourth priority: non-resident pupils wishing to attend the school as a school of choice.

   c.   Be considered for admission only if:

1. Space is available in the program of choice and/or the classroom(s) under consideration (see section 4.3);
2. The school has available all special equipment or physical accommodations required by the pupil;
3. The program of choice is suited to the age, ability, and aptitude of the pupil, and the pupil has all necessary prerequisites for the program and/or grade level of choice;
4. The Principal of the school is satisfied that enrolling the pupil will not be detrimental to the continuity of the pupil’s education;
5. The Division is satisfied that enrolling the pupil will not be detrimental to order, discipline and the well being of other pupils in the school; and
6. The student will be residing with his/her parent(s) or court appointed legal guardian(s) within the boundaries of the Portage la Prairie School Division.

4.2 For the purpose of defining space availability the Principal shall consider the following circumstances:

1. The number of catchment area and previously approved pupils already enrolled in the program of grade level concerned as of May 15^th, and the change of enrollment experienced in the identified program or grade level in the previous two school years between the dates of May 15^th and September 30^th.
2. The special circumstances of the pupils already approved to the classroom or program. These may include, but are not limited to, the number and circumstances of pupils with special needs, identified behavioural difficulties, and anticipated range in academic abilities, and safety consideration such as, but not limited to, those associated with laboratory and vocational programs.

4.3 Notwithstanding the above, and to protect potential needs for pupils moving in the catchment area prior to the commencement of classes, the Portage la Prairie School Division reserves the right to refuse admission of out-of-school- catchment-area-pupils to a classroom or program under the provisions of schools of choice when :

1. on May 15^th, the number of pupils projected to be enrolled in a regular classroom, program of studies, or a core subject within that program is at the:

1. K-4 grade level, 20 pupils or more;
2. 5-8 grade level, 25 pupils or more;
3. 9-12 grade level, 23 pupils or more;
4. Vocational, Industrial Arts or Home Economics classroom level, 16 pupils or more.

1. A non-resident pupil seeking school of choice is deemed to have disciplinary or behavioural problems which were previously addressed through additional support in the home school division, and the home division chooses not to pay for such additional support in the Portage la Prairie School Division.
2. The pupil was expelled from attendance in the home or previous school division/district.
3. The pupil does not meet program prerequisites required of the other pupils enrolled in the program.
4. The request for school of choice involves placement in a Special Education or specially designed student at risk program. The Principal and Administrator of Student Services shall consult for the purposes of determining the needs of the pupils already approved to the class, and shall be satisfied that the inclusion of another pupil will not be detrimental to those pupils. If the inclusion of an additional pupil is believed to be detrimental, the application shall be refused. The provisions of Section 4.3(i) shall not be applicable to such classes.
5. The student is under the age of majority (18) and does not live with his/her parents or legal guardians within the Portage la Prairie School Division boundaries.

Portage la Prairie School Division pupils who exercise school of choice within the Division may be eligible for transport by School Division buses only if:

 

1. The pupil is eligible for transportation support under Provincial Regulation and/or transportation service under Board policy and there is space available on the bus;
2. The pupil’s school of choice is a designated school for school bus transportation service and no change is required in the existing bus route;
3. The pupil’s school of choice is not a school designated for school bus transportation, and the pupil’s parents accept responsibility for transporting the pupil.

Portage la Prairie School Division pupils who choose to attend in another Division may request consideration for transportation services. When such approvals are given, the existing route(s) will not be altered so as to transport the pupil outside the boundaries of the Portage la Prairie School Division, but, where existing bus routes and timing permits, may be transported to a transfer point where a bus from the receiving division can be met and the pupil can transfer safely without reasonable delay for the other pupils. Such arrangements shall be subject to the agreement of both school divisions on all associated matters, including space availability, timing, convenience to other pupils and financial support for the costs incurred.

 

Parents of the eligible transportable pupils who choose to transport their own children to a school of choice may apply to the receiving Division for an allowance in lieu of transportation. Payment of such an allowance shall be at the discretion of the Board or as required by Regulation. Generally, such grants will be available only when the school of choice is the closer school and the receiving Division declines to provide transportation by school bus. See JBA-E4 – Application for Payment – Non-Resident Fees

2. Pupils from other School Divisions

Non-resident pupils who exercise school of choice to attend a school in the Portage la Prairie School Division may be eligible for transportation on Division buses only if:

 

1. The pupil is eligible for transportation support under Provincial Regulation and/or transportation service under Board policy and there is space available on the bus; and

 

2. The pupil’s school of choice in the Portage la Prairie School Division is closer than the pupil’s home school, is a designate school for school bus transportation service, and no change is required in the existing bus route; or

 

3. Arrangements satisfactory to the Portage la Prairie School Division can be made for the pupil(s) to be picked up/dropped off at any agreed upon location or at a transfer point if there is space on the bus, and where said arrangement can be made safely without unreasonable delay for the other pupils on the bus. Such arrangements shall be subject to the agreement of both school divisions on associated matters, including space availability, timing, convenience to other pupils, and financial support for costs incurred in the form of a fee charged to the parents as established from time to time. Said pick-up/drop-off point may be outside the boundaries of the Portage la Prairie School Division if the foregoing conditions are met.

Parents of pupils whose school of choice in the Portage la Prairie School Division is closer to their residence than designated school in their home division by road route, and who do not receive transportation on a Portage la Prairie School Division bus, may apply to the Portage la Prairie School Division for an allowance in lieu of transportation. The Division may pay such an allowance provided the circumstances meet the requirements for a grant

in lieu from the province under Regulation.