Wednesday, July 31, 2002

Fayette Q & A

Info for public school students and their parents

How do I know which school my child will attend?

Children attend schools in their attendance areas, and neighborhoods are zoned for specific schools. Street-by-street listings are stored in a computer at the school system's Transportation Department. Please telephone the Transportation Department at 770-460-3520 to learn which elementary, middle and high school is in your attendance area.

How do I register my child for school?

Children may be registered at the school in their attendance area. Please call the Transportation Department at 770-460-3520 if you are uncertain about the correct attendance area for residents of your neighborhood.

Kindergarten students must be 5 years old on or before Sept. 1. First-grade students must be 6 years old on or before Sept. 1. A copy of the child's certified birth certificate must be supplied at the time of enrollment.

Immunization: All students in grades K-12 must provide an immunization certificate (Georgia Form 3231) at the time of enrollment. This certificate may be obtained from the county health department or from a physician upon proof of immunization.

A child entering school in Georgia for the first time must be age-appropriately immunized with all of the required vaccines (DTP, DTaP, DT, or Td; Hepatitis B; Hib; OPV or IPV; Measles, Mumps and Rubella or MMR; and Varicella).

For entrance into the sixth grade of Georgia schools, a child must have at least one additional dose of MMR vaccine, for a total of two MMR vaccines administered on or after the child's first birthday and at least 30 days apart.

Effective August 1, 2001, the Georgia immunization requirements for children entering sixth grade have been expanded to include proof of protection against chicken pox, also known as varicella. The required certificate and any needed vaccines may be obtained from the child's physician or from the local health department. Parents/guardians may submit proof of immunization on the routine school certificate of immunization (Form 3231) or on a form specifically for that purpose.

Ear, eye, and dental examination: All students in grade K-12 must provide a certificate of ear, eye, and dental examination (Georgia Form 3300). The certificate may be obtained from the county health department or from a private physician.

Social Security number: All students entering this school system are asked to provide to the school the student's Social Security number. No student will be denied enrollment in the Fayette County School System for declining to provide his or her Social Security number or for declining to apply for such a number.

Transfer records: Students transferring into Fayette County schools must provide a withdrawal form from the previous school and official notice from that school to verify grade placement at the time of withdrawal. The name and address of the previous school must be provided.

Custody: If any person other than a natural parent has custody of a child, proof of legal custody or guardianship must be provided before the child may be enrolled in a Fayette County public school.

Proof of residence: Proof of residence must be furnished at the time of registration. Examples of proof of residence are: warranty deed documents, original signed lease agreement, or an affidavit of residency.

An affidavit may be obtained by contacting Beverly Pittman at 770-460-3990, ext. 122. Parents must also bring a current gas or electric bill displaying the parent's name and address of service, and a photo ID of the parent/guardian registering the student.

Do the elementary schools in Fayette County have Pre-K classes?

A number of private kindergartens and daycare centers in Fayette County provide the state-funded Pre-K classes as well as two of the public schools in the system. Information on these sites can be found at the Office of School Readiness web site: htp://www.osr.state.ga.us.

At this time the Georgia Lottery funded Pre-K program is currently offered only at Brooks Elementary and North Fayette Elementary Schools. First admittance will be granted to students who live in the attendance areas of the two schools.

If there are vacancies after all eligible students in the schools' attendance zones have had an opportunity to register for the program, students residing in any Fayette County area will be considered for admission.

Admission to the Pre-K program is on a first-come, first-served basis. Classes are limited to 20 students each.

A Title I Pre-K program is also offered at North Fayette, Oak Grove, Robert J. Burch, Tyrone, Peachtree City, East Fayette and Hood Avenue Elementary schools. The difference between these programs and the ones funded by the Georgia Lottery is that students must meet specific readiness criteria to be eligible to participate in Title I.

What are school hours?

Elementary school hours: 7:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Middle school hours: 8:20 a.m. to 3:35 p.m.

High school hours: 8:40 a.m. to 3:20 p.m.

Where can I find a ranking of the schools?

The Georgia Department of Education publishes Report Cards on all the schools and school districts in Georgia. The Report Card is available on-line at the Georgia Department of Education web site.

In addition, each school has copies of its own Report Card for Parents, which is also compiled by the Georgia Department of Education.

(Information for this article was taken from the Fayette County School System's Web site: www.fcboe.org.)

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