Lafayette Parish School System Magnet Academies

Application Process 

All students in the parish are eligible to apply for admission to any Magnet Academy.  Applications can only be submitted online through the Magnet Academies website, http://www.lafayettechoice.com/.  Parents who do not have access to computers, may come during business hours to the Magnet Academies office located at 202 Rue Iberville Lafayette, LA 70508-1502 to complete an application. Please call the Magnet Academies office for more information at 337-521-7160 or 337-521-7044. Parents may also visit any school and request to apply.

All students must live in Lafayette Parish to be eligible for a Magnet Academy.  Parents may visit www.lpssonline.com to find their child’s home zone school and contact information.  

There are two Phases for acceptance into a Magnet Academy.

Phase I: Lottery Priority

Applications will open Tuesday, October 03, 2023, at 10:00 am and will close Tuesday, December 19, 2023, at 4:30 pm.  Those students who apply within the deadline and meet the requirements will be placed in the lottery.  Applicants will be selected by  random computer drawing for available seats.  Applicants not selected will be placed on a numbered waitlist.

Phase II: Open Enrollment 

Applications will reopen a week after the lottery, once the lottery priorities have been assigned.  Open enrollment will be on a first come, first serve basis after all waiting list priorities have been assigned.  Phase II applicants must meet all requirements to be accepted into a Magnet Academy.

Magnet Academies Procedures

PLEASE READ THE INFORMATION BELOW BEFORE BEGINNING THE APPLICATION PROCESS. THESE PROCEDURES ARE EFFECTIVE FOR ALL MAGNET ACADEMIES PROGRAMS

Important Magnet Academies Information/Magnet Academies Procedures:
The Lafayette Parish School System offers Magnet Academy programs at various elementary, middle, and high school levels. In addition to providing students, the curriculum required by state guidelines, the Magnet Academies offers specialized theme-immersed programs, allowing for more exciting and fulfilling educational opportunities. Students of Lafayette Parish can apply for admission in the Magnet Academies at appropriate grade levels. Only applicants who fulfill entry criteria will be eligible for invitation to enroll. Intentional falsification, distortion, or misrepresentation on an application will result in disqualification for acceptance into the Magnet Academies.

Entry Criteria / Points of Entry
If an academy has academic grade requirements, the end of the year academic grades must be verified by June 1. Summer school grades will not be used to qualify. Individual academies may have additional entry requirements not listed in this general Entry Criteria. There will be no academic entry requirements for students in elementary and middle school academies.

Elementary Applicants: A completed application, and to be considered for late entry in World Language Immersion 2nd – 5th grade: Proficiency in English and immersed language. 

Middle School Applicants: A completed application and satisfactory completion of an interview, essay, audition, or examples of work. No level 3 or 4 discipline steps*, recommendation for expulsion or attendance at a disciplinary alternate site during the current school year. Students with a level 3 discipline infraction may appeal for reinstatement to the lottery, 10 days prior to the initial lottery.

High School Applicants: A completed application and satisfactory completion of an interview, essay, audition, or examples of work. No level 3 discipline steps*, recommendation for expulsion or attendance at a disciplinary alternate site during the current school year. Students with a level 3 discipline infraction may appeal for reinstatement to the lottery, 10 days prior to the initial lottery. Students currently enrolled in magnet academies are automatically re-enrolled for the next school year if all criteria are met. LPSS assumes natural progression (an example would be 1st to 2nd, 9th to 10th) unless notified of exit prior to the start of the new school year. If a student attends an academy for one day of the start of the new school year, this is considered acceptance of the spot and the student must remain in the academy for the whole school year unless there are extenuating circumstances. If extenuating circumstances exist, a Letter of Appeal can be completed and turned into the Magnet Academy Office.

*Discipline steps are defined in the LPSS Student / Parent Handbook.

Magnet Academy Appeal Process

Appeals submitted 10 days prior to the lottery will be processed and upon approval of the Magnet Academies Appeals Committee be entered into the initial lottery process. Appeals which are not submitted 10 days prior to the initial lottery will be processed and upon approval of the Magnet Academies Appeals Committee be entered into the 2nd round of the lottery.

Step one: Academy school identifies ineligible students for lottery due to criteria stated on the Magnet Academy website.

Step two: Academy school provides the LPSS Magnet Academy Director with a list of students who are ineligible.

Step three: Academy school contacts parents to notify them of their student’s ineligibility.

Step four: Parents may contact LPSS to request a formal appeal of Magnet Academy eligibility and complete any accompanying paperwork to submit to LPSS.

Step five/Level 1 Appeal:The Magnet Academies Appeals Committee will review both parent and school appeal documentation. If the Magnet Academies Appeals Committee approves the appeal, the student’s application will be entered into the lottery process. You have ten business days to turn in your appeal.

Level 2 Appeal:

An appeal which has been denied by the District Magnet Academies Appeals Committee  may be appealed to the Superintendent. This appeal must be completed on the Superintendent’s appeal  form, which may be obtained from the magnet academies office. This appeal must include all  correspondence and documentation from the previous round of appeal. 

Lottery Process
The lottery is a computerized system that randomly selects students from completed, verified and submitted applications. A third-party audit of the Magnet Academies’ Application and Selection Process will occur annually.

Students who wish to apply for more than one Academy may do so; however, a student cannot apply to more than two academies. Once the lottery is conducted, parents/students are notified. Once an applicant has accepted the invitation, the parent must contact the Academy Director or Principal of the school to begin the enrollment process. Acceptance is limited by the number of seats available and entrance requirement. Applicants not accepted due to limited seats available will be placed on a numbered wait list determined by the lottery system. The initial invitation for academies with grade requirements is provisional. An official invitation is determined by a review of end of the year grades.

Applicants who apply for a Magnet Academy and then are retained for academic deficiencies are subject

to losing their seat. Students must fulfill entrance requirements to join a Magnet Academy. Applicants invited to enroll in the Magnet Academies program will have 10 business days to respond. After August 1st students will have 48 hours to accept or decline placement once they have been electronically notified. Failure to respond will result in an auto-decline. If there is a waitlist, the invitation will be sent to the next waitlist applicant. Once all entrance requirements have been verified and the process is complete, the parent/student will receive a final invitation to attend the Magnet Academy. Intentional falsification, distortion, or misrepresentation on an application will result in disqualification for acceptance into the Magnet Academies. Students who move into the district after the selection process is complete may apply to LPSS Magnet Academies through late entry and could be placed on a 1st come 1st serve basis where seats are available. If no seat is available they will be placed on the bottom of the waitlist.

Language Immersion Applicants
Students applying to a World Language Immersion Academy whose primary language at home is not English must be screened by the LPSS ESL Department’s staff in order to be eligible. Students who would benefit from ESL services will have their application considered for acceptance on a year to year basis.

Waitlist Process
Applicants placed on the waitlist will have the choice whether to remain on a waitlist. Once a seat is vacant, the next applicant on the waitlist will be invited to accept a seat. Eligible applicants with two applications who are invited to one and waitlisted for the other must respond to the invitation within 10 business days. Eligible applicants placed on waitlists for two academies must respond to the first invitation received within 10 business days.

Special Needs Applicants
It is the policy of the Lafayette Parish School System to provide equal educational opportunities for all students. LPSS recognizes that some students with disabilities may have specific needs, which must be considered in the development of their educational program. Such considerations include whether the applicant’s special needs can be appropriately addressed in the LPSS Magnet Academies program.

Accordingly, for students with disabilities, the applicant’s individualized educational plan (IEP) team or Section 504 team shall review the applicant’s desired academic program and determine on an individual basis whether that program can meet the student’s needs as identified by the IEP or IAP. The LPSS Magnet Academies’ office will enforce the final determination by the IEP or the 504 team. Parents must submit appeals to their applicant’s respective academy director.

Priority
The Magnet Academies utilize various priority indicators for qualified applicants accordingly. Applicants must satisfy all applicable entry criteria or continuous criteria in the academy pathway. Priority status is only activated once all other criteria have been fulfilled.

Sibling Priority
Students who have an older sibling enrolled in a Magnet Academy will be given priority to enroll in that Magnet Academy at the same elementary school. Applicants meeting these criteria will have priority in the assignment process only after providing an official birth certificate to the Magnet Academies’ office. The application process will be paused until an official birth certificate is brought to Magnet Academies’ office for verification. For the sake of the Magnet Academies Lottery, a sibling is defined as two or more children or offspring having one or both parents in common; a brother or sister residing at the same or
different addresses; and/or adopted child (ren). Middle and high school applicants will be considered for sibling priority only if they share the same birthdate (twins, multiples). Sibling priority is only considered if application is done prior to the lottery.

Pathway Priority
Applicants who have attended a lower-grade Magnet Academies’ program that is aligned with the next level academy program will be given priority to that academy. Applicants must have completed all the curriculum requirements in their program and be eligible for entrance at the next level to qualify for pathway priority. Students/parents who wish to continue with the pathway must apply during the lottery period.

Enrollment
Enrollment is a commitment for the duration of the entire academy program. Once an applicant is formally invited and has accepted the invitation the parent must contact the academy program administrator at the academy school to begin the enrollment process. In order to preserve placement in a program, all Magnet Academies students must adhere to the LPSS District policies and the LPSS Parent/Student Handbook. If seats are available and entrance criteria are met, entry into an academy for grades K-11 may close after the 10th day of school up to the first Progress Report date, depending on the academy.

Expectations
Students in all academies are expected to complete required academy coursework, participate in activities, and fulfill academy expectations to remain an academy student. Unless for extenuating circumstances, this includes appropriate attendance, discipline, and participation in the academy’s curricular activities including field trips, contests, performances, and competitions. Students may be placed on probation for not meeting the academy’s established expectations. Students/parents are to complete a Magnet Academies Commitment Form. An academy may set higher standards for specific coursework. Refer to the school’s academy page and website for specific requirements.

Academics
Students are to remain in good academic standing as determined by their academy. Students not meeting the established criteria may be placed on probation.

Discipline
Students must adhere to district discipline policies found in LPSS Student / Parent Handbook, as well as academy specific policies or requirements. This may include lab protocols, internship behavior, and JROTC guidelines. Students who incur Level 3 discipline steps, are recommended for an expulsion, or attend a disciplinary alternative school, may be placed on probation or removed from the academy. In elementary school, this includes Level 4 discipline steps.

Attendance
Students must adhere to LPSS district attendance policies. The Magnet Academies’ office will work closely with the Child Welfare and Attendance department to determine necessary actions. Students with attendance issues may be removed from the academy.

Participation
Students are expected to participate in any academy activity, including rehearsals, after school functions, and field trips. Academy directors and/or principals reserve the right to approve or deny any requests by students to miss an academy-related activity. Students must also satisfy any dues or fees associated with the academy. Failure to fulfill this expectation is considered breaking the agreement made with the Magnet Academies Commitment Form.

Due Process/Probation
After a first violation for any enrollment expectation, a meeting between the student and the academy director/principal will be documented with a written plan to resolve the deficiency. A letterdocumenting the violation will be placed in the student’s academy file and mailed to the parent explaining the situation and the plan to resolve the deficiency.

If a second violation for any enrollment expectation occurs, a meeting between the student, parent, and the academy director/principal will be documented with a written plan to resolve the deficiency. A letter documenting the violation will be placed in the student’s academy file.

Academy probation will result with the third violation for any enrollment expectation. A meeting between the student, parent, academy director/principal, and administrator/counselor will be documented with a written plan established to resolve the deficiency. The student will be placed on academy probation. A letter documenting the violation will be placed in the student’s academy file and mailed to the Magnet Academies office.

A recommendation for removal from the academy will occur with the 4th violation for any enrollment expectation. A meeting between the student, parent, and academy director/principal will be documented detailing the reasons for the student to be recommended for removal from the academy. The academy director/principal will submit the request to the Magnet Academies department. The Magnet Academies Appeals Committee will determine if the student will be removed from the academy. Parents can appeal the decision to the Magnet Academies department within ten (10) business days of receiving removal notice.

Removal from an Academy

Students should excel in academics, attendance, discipline, and participation. When deficiencies are  discovered, school staff, the parent, and the student should take measures to strengthen the areas of  deficiencies through due process. There are times when deficiencies cannot be resolved and it may be  necessary to remove a student from an academy. The recommendation for removal from the academy would come from the school’s principal. The removal request form is sent to District Magnet Academies’  Review Committee. The District Magnet Academies’ Review Committee will determine if the student will  be removed from the academy or returned to the academy on probation. If the student is recommended  for removal, an appeal form will be sent home with the recommendation for removal letter. A parent  would have ten (10) school days to appeal the decision to the LPSS Superintendent. All appeal forms  must be turned into the Magnet Academies’ Office. During the appeal process, the student remains at  the academy. If a recommendation for removal is upheld, the student would be required to return to the  home zone school (aligned to school board policy JBCC). In the event that a student is sent to a  disciplinary alternative site, the student will be removed from the academy. If the student is removed  from the academy, the student would return to his/her zoned school when leaving the disciplinary alternative site. The school’s administration, LPSS District academy director, and/or parent may appeal  this decision to retain the student in the academy. Students attending educational sites for reasons other  than discipline may return to the academy if the academy coursework is current. Removal from an  academy based on grades should only be considered for students not meeting requirements in their  academy courses.

Voluntary Withdrawals from an Academy
If a parent wishes to cancel the accepted assignment prior to the start of the new school year, the withdrawal form must be completed and submitted to the LPSS Magnet Academies’ office. Once the form has been processed, the student will be reassigned to his/her zoned school and the seat will be opened to the next student on the waitlist. Once the school year begins, any parent request to withdraw from an academy must begin at the school. The school staff should be a part of making an informed decision. An Exit Request form is completed by the parent and school representatives (Academy Director, Principal, Counselor), then sent to the Magnet Academies’ office for final approval. Students are allowed to withdraw for extenuating circumstances, as determined by the Magnet Academies Appeals Committee. Students, who voluntarily withdraw during the school year, will return to their zoned school. Students moving from the Lafayette Parish School System may withdraw at any time.

Transportation
Transportation, utilizing designated satellite stops, is available for all students who choose to attend the LPSS Magnet Academies. Parents must submit transportation requests at the academy school site when enrolling the academy student(s). Prior to the first day of school, parents are encouraged to check with the academy school to ensure their student(s) are appropriately tagged as bus riders.

Athletics and Extracurricular Activities
Magnet Academies’ students, who wish to participate in athletic programs, may do so in compliance with all eligibility rules for their level of competition. For high school students, this includes compliance with the guidelines of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association. Magnet Academies’ students, who wish to participate in extracurricular activities, may do so unless the guideline of a state or national organization, which sanctions the activity, prohibits immediate participation.


At Lafayette Magnet Academies, Hope is not up for debate

The most up to date information about our Lafayette Magnet Academies, policies and procedures can be found on our website.

www.lafayettechoice.com