Enrollment Policies

Board of Trustees Policy

The Board of Trustees of the Russell Byers Charter School recognizes that all resident children in Pennsylvania qualify for admission to Russell Byers Charter School as follows:

• As a charter school, Russell Byers Charter School shall not discriminate in its admission policies or practices on the basis of intellectual, or athletic ability, measures of achievement or aptitude, status as a person with a disability, proficiency in the English language or any other basis that would be illegal if used by a school district.
• If more students apply to Russell Byers Charter School than the number of attendance slots available in the school, then students must be selected on a random basis from a pool of qualified applicants meeting the established eligibility criteria and submitting an application by the deadline established by the charter school. However, Russell Byers Charter School may give preference in enrollment to a child of a parent who has actively participated in the development of the charter school and to siblings of students presently enrolled in the charter school. First preference shall be given to students who reside in the chartering school districts.
• If available classroom space permits, Russell Byers Charter School may enroll nonresident students on a space-available basis, and the student’s district of residence shall permit the student to attend Russell Byers Charter School.

The Board of Trustees of authorizes the Russell Byers Charter School as follows:

• Russell Byers Charter School will utilize an open enrollment plan to encourage all parents to consider enrolling their children. Any child who is qualified under the laws of Pennsylvania for admission to a public school is qualified for admission to Russell Byers Charter School.
• Applications for student slots must be submitted by a deadline that will be established and made known by Russell Byers Charter School.
• If more students submit applications than can be accommodated by the school’s capacity — class, grade, or building, a lottery will be held to enroll students on a specified date that will be made known to all applicants and their families.
• All students whose enrollment forms were filed by the enrollment deadline will be separated by grade and entered into a lottery. A drawing of names will then be held by grade until all open slots in each grade level are filled, with preference given first to students who reside in the chartering school districts.
• A waiting list will be maintained in order drawn by lot, if needed, for the admission of students at a grade level should space become available during the school year. Students whose application is received after the deadline will be placed on the waiting list in the order that their applications are received. Preference will be given first to students who reside in the chartering school districts.
• Students are allowed to withdraw from the charter school at any time, upon written notice by the child’s parent or guardian and upon evidence of arrangements at an admitting school.
• No tests will be administered to students in order to determine eligibility for admission.
• The following documents will be required of prospective students in order to be entered into the lottery:
  • RBCS Enrollment Form
  • Birth Certificate
  • Proof of Residency
  • Home Language Survey (State Requirement)
  • Parental Registration Statement (State Requirement)
• Additional documentation will be requested of families after successful enrollment at RBCS. While this documentation is considered important to the school’s record-keeping, it will not be used to determine a student’s enrollment status:
  • Physical Form, Immunization History, and Dental Form
  • Emergency Contact Form
  • Permission for Fieldwork
  • Photography/Video Permission/Release
  • Records Request Letter
  • Bus Service Request (Grades 1-6)
  • Previous Report Cards (Grades 1-7)
• Students who have been expelled from school because their behavior reflected concerns for their personal safety or for the safety of others will be reviewed individually and enrollment decisions will be made in full compliance with Pennsylvania law and with the State Board of Education regulations.

Notice of Nondiscriminatory Policy 

School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.

Sibling Preference Policy

Families are important to the Russell Byers Charter School. We believe that having siblings attend the same school enriches their individual education experiences. We also recognize that it is convenient for parents/guardians to have their children at one school, where they will have the same school calendar and daily schedule. For this reason, we give siblings preference in the enrollment process. An eligible sibling is defined as a biological or legally adopted brother or sister residing in the same household as a student currently enrolled at RBCS. Cousins, nieces, nephews and unrelated children sharing an address with the applicant are not considered siblings. In order for siblings to be considered under the sibling preference policy, parents/guardians must complete and submit on our website, a completed Intent to Enroll Form listing each sibling on the initial application, thereby linking each sibling to that family. During the lottery, names will be drawn by grade and any siblings listed on the application will be placed in the appropriate grade—space permitting. If the grade is full, the sibling will be placed on the grade's Sibling Waiting List. The names on the Sibling Waiting List take preference over the names on the General Waiting List. The sibling preference policy is dependent on available space and does not guarantee enrollment for each sibling.