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Phone: (970) 254-6850

Enrollment/Registration

Enrollment to IACS is available to all students, including students with disabilities, and information about disabilities will not be requested until a student has been admitted and enrolled into the charter school.  For questions regarding the admission and enrollment of students with disabilities in charter schools, you may contact Lisa Gonsalves, Executive DIrector at IACS, Katie Brown, Director of Special Services at IACS, or Mesa County School District 51.  

Non-Discrimination Statement

Independence Academy Charter School welcomes all students and strives to create and maintain a diverse student population. Enrollment in Independence Academy Charter School is open to all students residing in the state. Student recruitment and enrollment decisions shall be made in a nondiscriminatory manner as outlined in 22-30.5-507(3), C.R.S. In all cases, student recruitment and enrollment decisions shall be made without regard to disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, language, religion, ancestry, need for special education services, or any other protected class.

 

Priority Enrollment Statement

Students who are members of selected groups will be granted priority enrollment, in the following order:

  1. Siblings of currently enrolled students, which includes children whose primary guardian(s) are also the primary guardian(s) of other children already enrolled in the program (in the case of joint custody, primary guardians must have custody at least 50% of the time).  This could include half-siblings, step-siblings, adopted siblings, cousins, nieces, or nephews being cared for by grandparents, etc.;
  2. Children of School employees, which includes children of staff or faculty members that work at least half-time, have full or joint custody of the child, and who started work on or before the first day of school of the year in which they are submitting the application. 

In no case shall category 2 exceed 20 percent of total enrollment. The processes for re-enrollment and priority enrollment will precede the lottery enrollment process described below.

Process and Timeline Statement

Each year, Independence Academy Charter School will establish and make publicly available an Enrollment Timeline.  Families seeking to enroll must submit a completed Intent-to-Enroll Form by the deadline set forth in the Enrollment Timeline for enrollment in the subsequent school year. Families of current students seeking to re-enroll should complete an Intent to Re-enroll Form by the deadline set forth in the Enrollment Timeline.

Independence Academy will use a variety of means to promote its enrollment process. The Enrollment Timeline, Letter of Intent Form, and instructions for submission of a Letter of Intent will be posted on the IACS website during the fall of the preceding school year. IACS will also use social media, community partnerships, parent newsletters, and other sources to promote the enrollment process. All communication and enrollment material will be available in English and OTHER APPLICABLE LANGUAGES.

Lottery Selection Statement

If the number of Intent to Enroll forms exceed the number of available seats by the Intent to Enroll deadline, a lottery will be used to determine the placement of students for any grade level for which the Intent to Enroll forms exceed capacity.  The enrollment lottery will be held in public at the School on the date set forth in the Enrollment Timeline. 

  • All students who are of eligible age and have timely submitted an Intent to Enroll will be entered into the lottery. On the day of the lottery, students are assigned random numbers.  A random number generator is used to select students to ensure equality.  

Current students are automatically re-enrolled and do not enter the lottery provided they submit an Intent to Re-enroll by the deadline set forth in the Enrollment Timeline.

Once a student is selected, either via lottery or from the waitlist, Independence Academy Charter School will attempt to contact the family using the contact information provided on the Intent to Enroll form on the same day as the lottery or draw from waitlist.  If the family cannot be reached on the same day, IACS will continue to attempt to contact the family for the next four business days.  If the family cannot be reached during that time, they will forfeit their child/children’s enrollment and the child/children will be placed at the bottom of the waitlist.  Notification to families will be made in the preferred language or mode of communication indicated on the Intent to Enroll form.

Students not selected via lottery will be randomly placed on a waitlist based on the student’s randomly generated lottery number. 14 days following the lottery, available seats will be offered to the prospective students at the top of the waitlist. Upon notification of admittance, families will have four business days upon verbal notification to accept the position.  IACS will attempt to contact the family for only four business days. 

  • Independence Academy Charter School will continue to enroll students from the top of the waitlist as positions become available.  After the October Pupil Count Day, no new students will be enrolled in the School.