Request for petitions for

* The only petitions that will be evaluated and considered for 2017-2018 school year will be from those individuals who filed a letter of intent with Atlanta Public Schools by February 1, 2016 (same deadline as the GaDOE) and who meet the March 14 deadline for petition submissions.

1. 
   The Atlanta Public Schools seeks petitions with an emphasis on unique and innovative inclusive practices to support closing the district’s current achievement and progress gaps, including those performance gaps between students with varying abilities. Petitioners with demonstrated expertise and success working in inclusive settings will be given priority.
   

2. 
   The Atlanta Public Schools seeks petitions with an emphasis on serving students in alternative school settings. Petitioners with demonstrated expertise and success educating students with high levels of discipline events or for whom traditional secondary school settings provide insufficient engagement and support will be given priority.
   

Petitioners are required to submit a letter of intent to Atlanta Public Schools (APS) and the Georgia Department of Education by February 1, 2016. Without exception, individuals who do not have a letter of intent on file with APS as of the February 1, 2016 deadline will not be eligible to submit a petition for the 2017-2018 petition cycle. It is the petitioner’s responsibility to submit a letter of intent to the state Department of Education. See the applicable state guidance for any questions.

Failure to submit a timely and complete petition will serve as grounds to deny a petition. A notice indicating completeness or incompleteness of submitted charter applications will be mailed to all applicants by April 1, 2016. All requested content must be included and all formatting guidelines must be followed in order for an application to be considered complete. Incomplete petitions will not be considered for 2017-2018 and must be resubmitted in a subsequent annual application round.

Atlanta Public Schools will offer an informational workshop for charter applicants on February 8, 2016. This workshop will take place at 130 Trinity Avenue. Applicants will be notified by email of the date and time. The workshop will cover the following topics: Governance, Finance, Facilities, Transportation, Student Information and Community Support. Attendance is limited to two people from each group having submitted a letter-of-intent (LOI) to APS for the 2017-2018 opening date. Attendees for these sessions must RSVP with the Office of Innovation by the (LOI) due date. Attendance is not mandatory, but is strongly recommended.

An applicant who has submitted an exemplary application by March 14, 2016 will be scheduled for an applicant interview. Interviews will be held April 18, 2016 – April 22, 2016 at 130 Trinity Avenue SW, Atlanta, GA 30303. If an applicant is scheduled for an interview, notice of the time and room will be sent via email by April 1, 2016. Interviews cannot be rescheduled for any reason. Although the entire applicant team need not be present, it is recommended that all key board and leadership members attend. A maximum of seven applicant team members may attend the interview.

The petition shall be submitted adhering to requirements set forth in the Atlanta Public Schools Petitioner Guidelines for 2017-2018. Petitioners must meet the following requirements. Each petition shall:

___ include the completed APS Petitioner and state Cover Sheets with required signature in blue ink

___ include signed APS and GaDOE Assurance signature pages in blue ink

___ include Conflict of Interest Forms for all Founding and Governing Board Members (if identified)

(original signatures)

___ answer all requirements following the outline as it appears on pages 7 to 21 of the application

___ be typewritten in 11-point Times New Roman font and one-inch margins with a header showing the school’s name and a footer showing consecutive page numbers printed on 8.5” x 11” white paper

___ include a table of contents

___ not exceed a maximum of 100 single-sided pages, not including attachments/appendices.

___ have all appendices labeled and numbered

___ one (1) hard copy to be submitted in a three-ring binder (no clips, staples, rubber bands or folders)

___ one (1) electronic copy in Microsoft Word format (CD or flash drive with label) (appendices may be in .pdf format)

___ include tabs for attachments/appendices

___ entire petition must be hand-delivered - one binder hard copy and one electronic copy for APS

(keep one clipped hard copy and one electronic copy for GaDOE to be delivered upon request) no later than 4:00 p.m. on March 14, 2016 to:

Office of Innovation-8^th Floor, Center for Learning and Leadership

Atlanta Public Schools, 130 Trinity Avenue SW, Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Attention: Ms. Tara Jackson, Project Manager, Office of Innovation
ONLY HAND-DELIVERED PETITIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED
Please direct any questions to:
Office of Innovation

Gayle Burnett, Executive Director of Innovation

telephone 404 802 2815

fax 404 802 1807

telephone 404 802 2881

fax 404 802 1807
Please follow the APS and GaDOE Required Petitioner Narrative Outline, addressing each requirement as thoroughly and clearly as possible in the sequence in which they appear. Be sure to complete and include the following documents:
APS Petitioner Cover Sheet

DOE Cover Sheet

Conflict of Interest Forms for all Founding and Governing Board Members (if identified)

APS and DOE Assurance Form and Signature Pages
The petitioner is responsible for addressing all requirements in the petition as described by state and local documents. All state requirements are available from the Georgia Department of Education website, including Charter School Law, Charter School Rule, and Guidance. Local requirements are contained within GaDOE Guidelines and in the Atlanta Board of Education policy on Charter Schools - IBB. The petitioner may attend the APS informational workshops offered and should call the APS Office of Innovation with any questions about the process.
Petitions will be reviewed to ensure that they are complete and that all guidelines have been followed. Incomplete applications will not move forward during this cycle. All complete applications will be reviewed by the APS Charter School Petition Review Panel. All petitioners submitting exemplary petitions will be required to attend an interview with the APS Charter School Petition Review Panel. The APS Charter School Petition Review Panel will submit its findings to the Office of Innovation, which will work with the Superintendent to develop recommendations for the Atlanta Board of Education.
The Superintendent will make a recommendation to the Atlanta Board of Education (ABE) for either approval or denial. Following any ABE approval, the petitioner and APS will complete a contract referred to as the APS Charter School Agreement. The APS Charter School Agreement will not be executed until after the locally approved petition has been submitted to the Georgia Department of Education and is approved by the State Board of Education.
Note: Petitioners will be required to follow APS directions regarding corrections, revisions, amendments, etc. Coordination of final documents and required electronic formats will be at the direction of APS.



Atlanta Public Schools

Petitioner Cover Sheet for 2017-2018
Name of Proposed Charter School:__________________________________________________

Proposed School Address: ________________________________________________________

City NPU: __________________________________________ Zip Code:_________________

Name of Group/Organization Applying for the Charter: _________________________________

Contact Person: ____________________________ Relationship to Group: ________________

Address: _________________________________ City: ______________ Zip Code: _________

Daytime Telephone: ___________________ Evening Telephone:________________________

FAX: _______________________ Email: _________________________________________

Number of Students

Length of School Year: _________ Days / Length of School Day: _____ AM to _____ PM

Board Chair Signature Date

(This form must be completed by each founding and/or governing board member, the proposed school leader, CFO/business manager and included as Appendix A)

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  Establish a Student Support Team (SST) in accordance with state guidelines and local school board policies as explained in the manual.
  
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  Use APS forms for SST.
  
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  Establish a Section 504 team in accordance with state guidelines and local school board policies.
  
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  Use APS forms for Section 504.
  
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  Handle all discipline issues regarding Section 504 students in accordance with federal regulations, state guidelines, and local school board policies.
  
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  Participate in workshops, in-service and/or trainings offered by APS for persons serving as SST/Section 504 chairpersons.
  
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  Comply with Section 504 by providing the appropriate accommodations and equipment.
  
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  Immediately notify the APS Charter School Office upon receipt of a complaint made by a parent/guardian or student concerning Section 504, furnish a copy of such complaint and cooperate fully in the investigation, defense and resolution of such complaint.
  

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  Hire or contract certified special education teachers to provide services to eligible students.
  
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  Develop an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for each student identified as needing special education services, with the full participation of appropriate APS staff.
  
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  Employ substitute teachers as required by state guidelines until certified teachers are hired if the charter school does not have certified staff .
  
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  Submit and verify documentation quarterly on certified staff to the Director of the APS Special Education program .
  
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  Participate in workshops, in-services and/or training offered by APS Student Services for special education staff.
  
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  Use APS forms for special education.
  
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  Handle discipline issues regarding special education students in accordance with federal guidelines, state rules and APS policy, and with the full participation of APS Special Education staff.
  
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  Immediately notify the APS Office of Innovation upon receipt of a complaint made by a parent/guardian or student concerning the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act, furnish a copy of such complaint and cooperate fully in the investigation, defense and resolution of such complaint.
  

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  Hire or contract with a licensed school counselor, certified school psychologist or a licensed clinical psychologist, licensed school social worker, and a licensed school nurse to provide services to students in accordance with state guidelines and APS policy.
  
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  Participate in workshops, in-services and/or training offered by APS for persons serving in these fields.
  
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  Use APS forms for services.
  
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  Report all allegations of child abuse and/or neglect to the charter school social worker and to the persons required to receive such reports pursuant to state law.
  

The Charter School will adhere to the following documentation guidelines:

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  Georgia Certificate of Immunization (Form 3231) must be on file.
  
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  Affidavit affirming that immunization requirements conflicting with parents’ religious beliefs will be allowed.
  
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  Each student must have a Certificate of Ear, Eye, Dental Examination (Form 3300).
  
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  Students must present an updated certificate within 30 days after the date of expiration.
  
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  Students out of compliance must be excluded.
  
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  Children entering grades K-12 for the first time must show proof of vaccination or immunity to varicella and proof of a second dose of the vaccine that includes measles (usually in the form of MMR).
  
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  Hepatitis B Vaccine is required for all new students enrolling in school at any age
  
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  Enrollment and Registration Requirements by showing proof of the following documents for each student.
  

2. birth certificate

3. parent/legal guardian photo identification

4. immunization certificate or religious exemption to immunization

5. eye, ear and dental certificate

6. social security card or objection to use of social security card

7. transcript from previous school*

8. report card from previous school*

9. discipline report from previous school*

10. proof of legal guardianship*

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  Administer all state mandated assessments according to the policies and procedures of the Atlanta Public Schools.
  
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  Designate a testing coordinator who will be responsible for test material distribution and collection, as well as all other testing processes and operations within the school
  
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  Attend all APS mandated testing and assessment trainings.
  

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  Provide, by the APS established deadlines, all accountability data, assurances and verifications as required by the Georgia Department of Education. This includes, but is not limited to FTE, CPI and student demographic data.
  
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  The school leader will register and maintain a working account within the MyGADOE portal, used for secure data transfer.
  

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  Integrate the Infinite Campus system and the school’s operational technology plan will fully comply with district expectations.
  
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  Report its progress in meeting goals and objectives by October 1 of each year, in accordance with the Charter School Act of 1998 and the Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education policy.
  
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  Maintain all student records in accordance with applicable federal and state laws, regulations, rules and policies and ensure the privacy and confidentiality of each student’s educational record in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 20 U.S.C. Section 1232g, and shall not disclose to any unauthorized third party any personally identifiable information concerning any student enrolled in the charter school without first obtaining prior written parental permission.
  
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  Participate in collecting Federal Impact Aid Questionnaires and all other documents required to secure or retain federal funds and shall submit completed forms by the stated deadline of each year to the APS.
  
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  Determine the annual Full Time Equivalent (FTE) required by the State Board of Education, no later than September 15, November 15 (special education students only), and February 15 of each school year.
  
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  Submit electronic data for the state Student Data Record report according to the schedule provided by the state.
  
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  On years it is due and the Charter School has been designated by the federal office to participate, the Charter School shall complete and submit the biennial Office of Civil Rights Report two weeks prior to the due date in a format as specified by the Office of Civil Rights to APS .
  
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  For the purpose of completing the Certified/Classified Personnel Information Data Collection Report (CPI) required by the Georgia Department of Education, no later than September 15, and February 15 of each school year, the Charter School shall submit personnel information to APS.
  

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  In the event that the charter is not renewed or is terminated, any balance of public funds or assets purchased with public funds will revert back to Atlanta Public Schools.
  
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  In the event that the charter is not renewed or is terminated, submit a financial audit for the final year of operation, prepared by an independent Georgia-licensed certified public accountant. This audit shall include a detailed inventory of all assets.
  
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  In the event that the charter is not renewed or is terminated, within one month of the board decision, along with the district employees, develop a specific timeline for closure with regard to finances, students, staff and district property.
  

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  Ensure that all personnel will be in compliance with the Drug Free Public Work Force Act of 1990.
  
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  Inform charter school employees they are not employees of Atlanta Public Schools and are not eligible for any benefits provided by the Atlanta Board of Education.
  

This Charter School Application, Assurance Form, and attached Exhibits were approved by the       Board of Education on the       day of      , 201_.

Authorized Representative, Charter School Date

Chair, Local Board of Education Date

Authorized Representative, Charter School Date

Chair, Local Board of Education Date

SCHOOL NAME

SCHOOL CONTACT ADDRESS