What happens to charter students who leave the area temporarily?

[Anonymous]

My family is considering leaving the DC area for a year to live abroad at some point. If our kid (who is now in early elementary school) is in Basis or Latin like we hope starting in 5th grade, and we go away for the 6th grade or 7th grade year, would we lose the spot? Does anyone know what the policy is for situations like that?

[Anonymous]

Different schools have different policies. I believe Inspired Teaching is pretty tolerant of that. I would call and ask.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My family is considering leaving the DC area for a year to live abroad at some point. If our kid (who is now in early elementary school) is in Basis or Latin like we hope starting in 5th grade, and we go away for the 6th grade or 7th grade year, would we lose the spot? Does anyone know what the policy is for situations like that?

Lol oh the optimism. We were shut out of everywhere for 5th next year. Don't count your chicks before they hatch.

[Anonymous]

Read the school policy. Pretty sure you can return to Latin (or there is at least a policy precisely addressing this type of situation).

[Anonymous]

It’s under the Privilege Lock-In section of the handbook

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s under the Privilege Lock-In section of the handbook

+1, I am spiteful so I sincerely hope OP’s family gets locked out of Latin and BASIS so that can’t grab up a spot many other families want only to leave the country. JFC.

[Anonymous]

I wonder if it's for military or us government travel orders if that could help (anyone know?)

on an unrelated note, can you apply to these lotteries if you are NOT physically about to be in Dc?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if it's for military or us government travel orders if that could help (anyone know?)

on an unrelated note, can you apply to these lotteries if you are NOT physically about to be in Dc?

You could apply but you will need to be able to prove residency to enroll, and enrollment happens within a few weeks of lottery results, or on a rolling basis as people get off waitlists. So if you did the lottery and then didn’t have a dc address by the time you got a spot, you won’t be able to enroll and will lose it anyway.

Regarding military/government travel orders, very few such assignment are only one year, and even those that are have a high likelihood of being extended. Leaving a spot at a school with a mile long waitlist empty for a kid who might be gone a year but could also be gone three doesn’t seem right.

People could easily avoid this issue by simply choosing to live somewhere with satisfactory IB schools if you think it’s likely you will be doing a stint abroad. Move to the suburbs are buy in the JR triangle. If you can plan a year abroad with kids, you obviously have some flexibility in terms of where you live. Why make a lottery-based charter your game plan here? It makes no sense.

[Anonymous]

OP here — the year abroad would be for an academic fellowship for my husband. We’d obviously prefer to rent our house out for the year and not move just because of it. Maybe we need to accelerate and try to do it in her 4th grade year. (Or not do it at all.) And yes, I know we could very well be shut out in the lottery!

[Anonymous]

I am almost positive Latin lets you come back. BASIS does not, AFAIK (understandably since kid would get really behind without that accelerated year).

[Anonymous]

I've heard of just a few instances like that at Latin...in very limited circumstances (like a military move out of their control). I'm not sure they do anymore because it wasn't always successful and the school has an even greater waitlist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've heard of just a few instances like that at Latin...in very limited circumstances (like a military move out of their control). I'm not sure they do anymore because it wasn't always successful and the school has an even greater waitlist.

+1

They all lose per pupil funding for a year to just save that spot for a kid. Unless they give the spot away and just overload the class slightly by readmitting the kid who moved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've heard of just a few instances like that at Latin...in very limited circumstances (like a military move out of their control). I'm not sure they do anymore because it wasn't always successful and the school has an even greater waitlist.

+1

They all lose per pupil funding for a year to just save that spot for a kid. Unless they give the spot away and just overload the class slightly by readmitting the kid who moved.

This. They don't leave a spot empty, they just squish the kid in if the kid comes back, or someone else leaves so the numbers work out. A lot of times people don't come back, or when they come back they move IB for JR or whatever.

[Anonymous]

BASIS certainly would not allow this. IF (a very big IF) they did this, kid would have to repeat a grade. Their whole program is designed to build upon prior years.

[Anonymous]

OP, you might consider moving back to a different area with a better public school path, or applying to privates (which are very competitive to get into and also not guaranteed). Knowing what I know now, I would have moved earlier. We love our neighborhood, but I'm not sure it's been worth it to stay (bad schools, increasing crime, etc).