Today is the deadline for students in 26 schools recently designated by the state as academically distressed to apply for a transfer to attend a higher-performing school for the 2014-15 school year and beyond.
The applications must be sent to the student's resident district and, if the desired school is in a different district, the application must be sent there as well.
Jerry Guess, superintendent of the Pulaski County Special School District that is home to three academically distressed schools, said Tuesday that his district will permit students in those three schools -- Harris Elementary, Jacksonville High and Wilbur Mills High -- to transfer to schools in other districts.
That is a change in the district's position on interdistrict transfers since last week, when Guess said only transfers within the Pulaski County Special School District would be permitted.
Guess said Tuesday that parents in the three affected schools were notified by telephone calls and on district and school websites of all of the transfer options.
Earlier in the year, the district claimed an exemption to the state law that permits students to transfer across boundary lines to attend school. That exemption was based on the district operating under a federal school desegregation order.
After the state classification of the three schools as academically distressed earlier this month, Guess said the same exemption would apply to interdistrict student transfers out of those schools.
"We thought we could argue about it, but then decided, 'Why?' We decided to go with the most liberal interpretation of our responsibility," Guess said. "We'll know [Thursday] what the bottom line is."
As of Tuesday, parents of about one half dozen students in the three schools had requested a change in their school assignment. Parents of a couple of students in the Little Rock School District have requested a transfer to the Pulaski County Special School District.
"There has not been much movement either way," Guess said.
Schools were identified by the state as distressed if more than half of their students over three years failed to make proficient or better scores on state math and literacy tests.
The labeled schools also include six in Little Rock, three in Pine Bluff and three in Forrest City. There are also academically distressed schools in Augusta, Blytheville, Dollarway, Fordyce, Helena-West Helena, Marvell-Elaine, Osceola, Strong-Huttig and Watson Chapel districts. Covenant Keepers Charter School in Little Rock is also labeled.
The high school in Stephens also was identified, but that school and district have been closed.
Metro on 07/30/2014