Family Resource Center

 Mr. John Descoteaux, Coordinator
Family Resource Center
Lowell Public Schools
Henry J. Mroz Central Administration Office
Edith Nourse Rogers School
43 Highland Street
Lowell, MA  01852

Office Hours:                          Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Thursday Evenings:               4:00 - 6:00 pm
Summer Hours:                      8:00 am - 3:00 pm

Tel:                                         978-674-4321
Fax:                                       978-674-2148

Special Registration Dates

The mission of the Family Resource Center is to assist parents, guardians and students in accessing the educational services of the Lowell Public Schools and other community resources as well as to provide the services necessary to effectively and efficiently implement Lowell’s Voluntary Revised Desegregation and Educational Improvement Plan. The Family Resource Center is devoted to making a parent's introduction to the Lowell Public Schools a positive experience.

The School Committee entered into an agreement with the Bureau of Educational Opportunity to voluntarily desegregate the Lowell Public Schools effective June 11, 1987 through a controlled school choice assignment plan. Controlled choice was designed as a strategy to increase the effective participation of low-income and minority children, while stimulating every school to be productive. Controlled choice has four main objectives:

1. to offer all students in a community equal access to all public schools,
2. to involve all parents in an informed decision-making process,
3. to create pressure for all schools to improve over time, and eliminate enrollment on the basis of residence; and, where necessary,
4. to achieve racial desegregation of every school with a minimal number of mandatory assignments.

All students in the Lowell Public Schools shall be assigned in a manner which assures equal opportunity regardless of race, national origin, sex, language background, or residency in a desegregated, multicultural, pluralistic learning community.

Students in the English Language Learners program and special education program are to be assigned to appropriate components at appropriate school locations, followed by the assignment of all other students by means of centralized enrollment in such a way that each school reflects the percentage of majority and minority in the school system (plus or minus 10%) inclusive of English Language Learners programs. This percentage is revised on an annual basis to reflect the overall current percentages of the school system.

To help insure racial balance, English Language Learners programs were placed in many schools, including schools located in areas with a high non-minority population.

The controlled choice plan divided the City into three zones. A parent/guardian may choose schools from within the zone in which he/she lives; or he/she may select any of the citywide schools, or Zone 3 schools (See Documents & Forms, Lowell School Zones).

In compliance with the Voluntary Desegregation Plan, school assignments are made based on available school capacities, desegregation mandates, and family preferences.

·         Parent / Guardian Picture ID

·         Proof of date of birth

·         Health / Immunization Record

·         Proof of Lowell Address – ex. Current utility bill

·         Transfer Slip from former school district

·         Special Education Plan (I.E.P.)

This form is for transportation other than your home address.  This form applies to Lowell Public School and/or private students with an alternative address.

Transportation Guidelines

K-4 mileage greater than .75 from the school (for in Zone only)

5-8 mileage greater than 1.50 from the school (for in Zone only

Alternate Address Form:   Transportation Form

To register a new student, parent/guardian needs to bring picture ID, evidence of child’s birth date, proof of residency, and immunization record(s). Failure to bring proper documentation at time of registration may delay the assignment process. Generally, the registration process takes 30 minutes. However, this could take an hour or more during rush periods: March (Kindergarten) and mid-August through early September. The process of checking on available space and other criteria for each child applying to schools takes time. Assignments may be made within a few hours, a few days or a few weeks, depending on the time of year and how many people are applying at the same time.

Also note that the child without current immunization records may not be admitted into school, unless religious or medical exemptions apply.

At the time of registration, the parent/guardian is asked to indicate three school choices, in order of preference.

If there are more registrations for a particular school or program than can be accommodated, the Coordinator of the Family Resource Center applies a set of priorities to decide school assignments. Assignments are based on these factors, in order:

1.      Space Availability - space available in a particular school, program or grade is defined according to the policy in effect as to class size.

2.      Sibling Preference (brothers and/or sisters) - all students whose parents make timely application* to a particular school and already have other children attending that school are given priority of assignment for that school.

3.      Non-Minority/Minority Balance - new assignments and transfers must meet requirements of minority/nonminority balance. The goal is to achieve a minority/non-minority balance within each school, program and grade that reflects, within 10% above or below, the minority/non-minority percentage of the zone as a whole.

4.      Place of Residence (proximity of residence to school) - all other priorities being equal, the student living within the school neighborhood street directory as defined by the Lowell School Committee, has priority of assignment for that school.

In those cases when a child cannot, for any reason, be assigned to the school or program of his/her first choice, the parent/guardian may request to have the child’s name placed on the Wait List for that school. Students on the Wait List have priority over new entrants to the school system. The order of names on the Wait List is determined by applying Criteria #1 - #4 above and by the date of request. Placements from the Wait List are made during the summer recess and continue up to October 20th.  Students must attend Lowell Public Schools to remain on the Wait List.

Note: Private, Parochial or Charter School students must renew their registration each year beginning April 1^st if they do not wish to accept the offered seat for the registered school year.

Once a student has attended a school, a parent who is dissatisfied with the assignment may request a voluntary transfer. Only one transfer per year is allowed; and must be requested through the Family Resource Center before October 20th or no later than 45 calendar days after the initial placement of the student in the school.

Students who no longer require a special education or English Language Learners program placement at a school that is outside of their zone of residence are allowed to remain at the same school for one year. After that, the student is considered newly enrolled, and is expected to attend a school within his/her zone.

The Lowell Public Schools offer Integrated Preschool Programs at various school sites for any child who is a resident of Lowell and four years old on or before September 1st. Preschool classes are Monday thru Friday.  Preschool classes start the first Tuesday after Labor Day, there is no classes on Holidays or Half days and there is no preschool class on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  The class size capacity is fifteen students. Classes include both children with and without special needs. Of the 15 places, 6 are held for students with identified special needs. At the age of three, a child with an IEP may be assigned to the program to receive their special education services. Preschool classrooms have morning and afternoon sessions that are held on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for two hours and forty minutes. Due to the limited number of schools that house preschool classes, preschool is not a choice program. Students are assigned to a preschool classroom based on space availability, non-minority/minority balance, and proximity to the school.

A parent whose child has not been assigned to one of their first three preferences and who is dissatisfied with the assignment or transfer, after exhausting all the options of the student assignment policy, or having grounds to believe the policy was not followed, may file an appeal in writing to an independent Student Assignment Appeals Board, Lowell Public Schools, 43 Highland Street, Lowell, MA 01852. Membership includes Asst. Supt. for Student Services, Coordinator of Early Childhood Education, and two parents. The Board will review each case referred to it and will make timely decisions on the disposition of the appeal. A copy of the decision will be sent to the parent(s) and the Coordinator of the Family Resource Center. The decision will be based on the desegregation policy of the Lowell Public Schools.

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