Enrollment Policy and Practice Frequently Asked Questions

(Updated September 2016)

The Enrollment Processes Technical Advisory and the following Enrollment Policy and Practice Frequently Asked Questions provided by Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department) should be read carefully and reviewed in its entirety. An answer to one frequently asked question might lead a reader to an inaccurate conclusion when read in isolation from the Department’s guidance and answers to other frequently asked questions. Answers should not be reviewed or relied upon in isolation from the entirety of the Department’s guidance regarding enrollment processes. Please reach out to the Department if you have a question or concern that is not currently found in this FAQ.

Eligibility Criteria

Enrollment Process and Lottery Procedures

Waitlist

Backfilling

Acceptance of an Offer of Admission and Students Attending

General Inquiries

Is written notice required prior to destroying student applications? After what period of time may a charter school destroy student applications?

All

General Inquiries

46.

Is written notice required prior to destroying student applications? After what period of time may a charter school destroy student applications?

If an applicant is admitted, the application form becomes part of the student's temporary record and must be maintained in accordance with 603 CMR 23.06. The state regulations for student records can be found at 603 CMR 23.00 Student Records. Temporary student records may only be destroyed if the school provides written notice in accordance with 603 CMR 23.06(2) or (3). This notice must be in writing, in the language spoken in the home of the student, and provided to the student and his/her parent. It must contain the approximate date of destruction, which records will be destroyed, and their right to receive the information in whole or in part. This notice is in addition to the routine information letter required by 603 CMR 23.10.

For applicants who are not admitted, the school must retain the application as a temporary student record for no later than seven years after the student's name is no longer on the school's waitlist. The school may destroy such applications only if it has given written notice in accordance with 603 CMR 23.06(3). For applicants who are not admitted, the school may include written notice on its application form with the approximate date of destruction and the right to receive a copy of the documents to be destroyed.

Last Updated: April 28, 2020