Option options

Dear Editor,

and To Parents Who May Want to Option Their Children:

Because of questions I've received from patrons in our school district, I'd like to remind parents of why March 15 is so important in optioning their students:

1. In order to be certain students are eligible for Fall/Winter sports, a student's option must be received by the school the student will attend during the next school year by March 15. Otherwise, a student must sit out 90 school days, not 90 calendar days.

2. After March 15, the home school district has the choice of allowing or not allowing a student to opt out of the district during the following year. This doesn't mean that the home district won't allow a student to change schools, but that is an option decided, in Culbertson's case, by the Hitchcock County Unified District, not the Culbertson School Board.

Option forms can be obtained at your local schools or on the Nebraska Department of Education Web site and need to be returned to the school your student wishes to attend next year, not the school being attended during the current year.

Also important, parents may exercise an option only one time while living in a school district. If a student is unhappy with the choice they've made, and wants to change schools again, their only option is to return to their home district. If a student returns to his/her home district, they do not have to wait the 90 school days to be eligible to participate in sports.

I hope this will help answer questions for parents in the area that are considering an option enrollment for their students. For any other questions regarding the option process, please contact your local Board of Education members or school administrators.

Sincerely,

Linda Koch

Culbertson