SIGNATURE SCHOOL ADMISSIONS AND LOTTERY PROCEDURES

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Eligibility

Signature School is an Indiana Charter School. Any student who is qualified for admission to an Indiana public school is qualified for tuition-free admission to Signature School.  Signature School will not discriminate or restrict admissions based upon ability, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, limited English proficiency, or income level. See policy below.

Admissions Policy

In accordance with the Charter Schools Act, current students and their siblings will have enrollment priority.  Enrollment priority will be given to siblings of current Signature School students at the time of the siblings’ initial eligibility for admission to the school. Enrollment priority will also be given to dependents of Signature School faculty and staff. Signature School will follow the procedures outlined in the section entitled “Applications for New Students” (see below).      

Open Application Plan

Signature School has initiated a systematic, methodical, and documented application process to ensure the school is racially and socio-economically open. Signature School will accept applications from current Indiana residents and from students who state in writing that they will be residents of Indiana by the August 1 date preceding the start of the school year and who subsequently prove their Indiana residency by such date.  The Board will ensure that admissions policies and procedures comply with the Indiana Charter School Law and with any applicable court ordered desegregation plan.

Signature School conducts an application information session and holds an open house at the school.   Application procedures are posted on the school’s website.  The application will be made available online and at the school.

SIGNATURE SCHOOL NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY

Signature School does not discriminate against any individual on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, veteran status, national origin, age, disability,  genetic information,  or limited English proficiency in its programs, or employment policies, as required by the Indiana Civil Right Laws (I.C. 22-9-1), Title IV and VI (Civil Rights Act of 1964), the Equal Pay Act of 1973, Title IX (Educational Amendments), the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act, and Section 504 (Rehabilitation Act of 1973).

Applications for New Students

1. Enrollment for each grade level is determined by building capacity, individual class sizes, and, in regard to upperclassmen, the ability to accommodate the individual applicant’s class scheduling needs.

1. The open application period for current eighth graders will begin at 7:00 AM the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November and end the second Monday in December. Applications may be submitted in person at Signature School or may be mailed.  Applications will not be accepted by fax or email.  Applications delivered in person will be accepted beginning at 7:00 AM the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November and ending at 6:00 PM the second Monday in December.  Applications sent through the mail will be accepted if they are postmarked with a date that includes or falls between the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November through the second Monday in December. Proof of mailing may be required and is the responsibility of the applicant. It is also the responsibility of the applicant to verify receipt of all materials by Signature School.

Upon receipt, all applications will be date/time stamped and a receipt will be issued.If at the end of the open application period the number of completed freshman applications exceeds the openings available, a public lottery will be held in January for freshmen to determine which students will be admitted and to determine the order of the waiting list for students whose applications were received during the open application period.All applications received in person or postmarked with a date within the open application period will be considered as part of the lottery.

Current eighth graders who submit an application after the open application period has ended will be placed at the end of the waiting list in the order in which their applications are received.Freshman students who seek to enroll at Signature School, and who are enrolled in high school elsewhere from Signature School’s first day of school through the beginning of the next open application period, will be placed on the waiting list in the order in which their completed applications are received.This waiting list will expire with the beginning of the new open application period, which commences the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

If the number of applications received by the application deadline does not exceed the number of available seats in a grade, all applicants who submitted completed applications for that grade during the open application period will be accepted in that grade.

Students who apply during the Open Application period must complete and return the Signature School course enrollment form on Enrollment Night or within a calendar week of Enrollment Night in order to keep their place on the list of admitted students or on the waiting list. Enrollment Night is typically held in late January. If the enrollment form is not received within this time period, the student's name will be moved to the bottom of the waiting list. Students who apply after Enrollment Night must complete the enrollment form within one calendar week of accepting a spot, if offered, or their names will be moved to the bottom of the waiting list.

1. The open application period for high school students who seek to enroll or re-enroll at Signature School will begin at 7:00 AM the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

1. Applications will not be accepted by fax or email.  Applications will be date/time stamped and reviewed in the order in which they are received.  Applicants who submit their applications will receive an acknowledgement of receipt. For applications sent by mail, proof of mailing may be required and is the responsibility of the applicant. It is also the responsibility of the applicant to verify receipt of all materials by Signature School.

Current high school students who apply to transfer to Signature School will be notified, in the order in which they fall on the waiting list, in the event there is a mid-year opening before the next year begins and provided it is possible to accommodate the applicant’s class scheduling needs. If the student declines a transfer at the time this mid-year offer is made, he/she will remain in the same position on the waiting list until the earlier of either (i) an offer for the following full academic year is extended, contingent upon all other application deadlines and requirements being met; or (ii) the list expires as provided by these procedures.

1. Signature School will give priority for admission to siblings of current students and to dependents of Signature School faculty and staff provided that their completed applications are received prior to the end of the open application period.

1. Dependents of faculty and staff members hired after the expiration of the open application period will be given priority for admission provided they complete the appropriate application. 

1. Indiana’s Charter Law requires students to be Indiana residents to attend Signature School.  Proof of residency is required by the August 1 date preceding the start of the school year.

1. Any student attending Signature School who withdraws from Signature School for any reason and later desires to return to Signature School must follow and is subject to the same procedures outlined in this section.

1. A student living abroad on a temporary basis may request a leave from Signature School, providing that student demonstrates that she/he is on a course path consistent with the International Baccalaureate Programme and that while on leave he/she has not engaged in behavior that would prevent him/her from remaining at Signature School had the behavior taken place while enrolled at school.  A written request to re-enroll at Signature must be submitted to the Executive Director 30 days in advance of the proposed return date.

1. A suspension or expulsion from another educational institution may apply to and be upheld by Signature School.  It is the responsibility of the applicant and his/her family to keep Signature School up to date on major disciplinary action.  For example, if a student applying for admission is either suspended or expelled at any time between the date the Signature School Enrollment Application is submitted to the school and the first day of class in the semester for which the student seeks to enroll, it is the responsibility of the applicant  and his/her family to promptly notify the Executive Director.

Lottery Procedures (current eighth graders only)

1. Once completed applications are received by the school, applicants’ names will be printed on blank cards suitable for a drawing.  All cards will be the same size and weight.
2. Applicants who submit their application will receive an acknowledgement of receipt.
3. All lottery cards will be placed in a suitable container for the drawing, and appropriate security measures will be taken.
4. Cards will be drawn by a neutral party.
5. As each card is drawn, the applicant’s name will be placed on a Master Roster.
6. Names of remaining applicants will be put on a waiting list in the order their names are drawn.  Students on the waiting list will be offered placement as openings occur.

Applications received after the end of the open application period and after the lottery has been held will be added to the end of the waiting list in the order in which they are received.  The applications of siblings of current students or dependents of Signature School faculty and staff will not be given preference if received after open application has closed, with the exception of the dependents of faculty and staff hired after the close of the open application period who have completed the appropriate application.

Enrollment and the Waiting List Procedures

Students who are offered a spot at Signature School and wish to accept this spot should confirm their acceptance and intention to attend Signature in writing by email or U.S. mail as soon as possible.  Students who are offered a spot on the waiting list and wish to stay on the waiting list should confirm their desire to do so in writing by email or U.S. mail as soon as possible. For correspondence sent by mail, proof of mailing may be required and is the responsibility of the applicant. It is also the responsibility of the applicant to verify receipt of all materials by Signature School.

If a student has been offered admission to the school but does not confirm acceptance of this offer by the March 15 date preceding the start of the school year, his or her name is moved to the bottom of the waiting list and the next student on the waiting list may be enrolled.  If a student on the waiting list does not confirm his or her desire to remain on the waiting list by the March 15 date preceding the start of the school year, his or her name is moved to the bottom of the waiting list.  Waiting lists expire at the beginning of a new open application period, which commences the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

Students who are offered a spot for enrollment at Signature School or offered a position on the Signature School waiting list but decide against attending Signature School should notify the school in writing of their wish to be removed from Signature School records as early as possible.

Students who withdraw from Signature School must reapply for admission and follow the procedures outlined above for new students.

Approved by Signature School Board of Directors and effective on:  10/27/2023