Reply to APS: I can't keep up! (ASFS)

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[quote=Anonymous]ASFS as originally conceived was part of a Team- Jamestown, Taylor, Key- with a science focus and no boundary.  Anyone in that Team could chose to go there.
As the system got more crowded, the ASFS seats all went to students in the Key boundary who didn't want immersion, and siblings of current students.  (rumor has it immediate neighbors could get in as well by talking to the school secretary who put those students at the top of the list.)
Thus, ASFS became the de-facto neighborhood school for the Key district, but it is not actually in the Key zone, it's in the Taylor zone.
APS redid its option school policy, and got rid of neighborhood preference so that you couldn't buy your way into an option school.  This was really oriented at Claremont b/c no one has been able to get into Claremont in the last couple of years who didn't live 'in-zone'  (Key has not been as full.)
APS is also moving to make all schools STEAM schools.  This means that ASFS did not look special enough to be option, and they needed a neighborhood school for the Key zone- so they dubbed ASFS the Key neighbhorhood school.

Fairly late to the Party- ASFS parents are freaking out.  It's not entirely clear why- and some of their arguments are non-nonsensical.  
Here is what I have heard;;

1. Fear that they will be more overcrowded.  They are worried that this policy change will allow Key to cap its enrollment, and all the enrollment pressure will be on ASFS.
2. Fear that the 'science' will be taken away.  This appears totally unfounded- all neighborhood schools have some special focus areas.
3. Fear that the close-by neighbors will not be able to get the secretary to get them into the school.  This is a legitimate fear, and APS could (and should still) do a better job of assuring that there will be a corresponding boundary change to include the neighbors in the ASFS zone.
4. Fear that more FARMS kids who live in the Key boundary and currently attend Key will now switch to ASFS.  Both the Key and the ASFS community are concerned about this- Key wants them and ASFS doesn't.  The concern is that they register in the days leading up to school so they may be boxed out of Key as an 'option school.'  Or they will just go to ASFS thinking that is where they should go as their neighborhood school.  People I respect are really worried about this- but I think there is a way around it b/c it is everyone's best interest to ensure that native spanish speakers are allowed into an immersion school.[/quote]

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