LCWS Non-Discrimination Policy
Lake Champlain Waldorf School is non-sectarian and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, veteran status, disability, marital status, political affiliation, gender identity, or sexual orientation in its employment, educational, administrative, admission, and school programs and practices. We are committed to multicultural education, and to a diversified student body and faculty. Lake Champlain Waldorf School is committed to the support and respect for the dignity and worth of each member of our community. Lake Champlain Waldorf School complies with all applicable state and federal nondiscrimination statutes, including the Vermont Public Accommodations Act (9 V.S.A. Chapter 139), the Vermont Fair Employment Practices Act (21 V.S.A. Chapter 5, Subchapter 6) and Vermont State Board of Education rules 2226.6 and 2229.1.
Enrollment Policy
As an approved independent school LCWS follows these enrollment policies:
1) All applications to LCWS shall be made voluntarily.
2) No student shall be denied acceptance for enrollment in LCWS on the basis of disability (as defined in Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended), or that the student is eligible for special education or undergoing the comprehensive evaluation process for special education, or on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other classification protected by federal or state law.
3) LCWS may make acceptance decisions based on considerations including:
- a) order in which applications are received
- b) enrollment of other family members
- c) if the student’s parent/guardian is employed by LCWS
- d) meeting minimum academic or extracurricular activity preparation requirements,
- e) student and family agreement with the school’s educational philosophy,
- f) family willingness to promptly pay invoices for tuition, fees, and other student expenses; and
- (g) None of the foregoing considerations shall disadvantage a student based on the student’s membership in a protected class, the student’s actual or suspected disability, or the student’s socioeconomic status.
4) If the number of applicants to LCWS exceeds capacity, enrollment decisions shall be based first upon continuing to enroll previously enrolled students and then upon considerations itemized in paragraph 3 above.
5) LCWS considers every new enrollment conditional for the first ten (10) weeks of attendance. This probationary period is for the school to ensure that it is the appropriate educational setting for the student.
Nondiscrimination, Application, and Enrollment Policy
Pursuant to Vermont State Board of Education Rules 2223.2 and 2229, and related Vermont statutory and rule-based requirements, Lake Champlain Waldorf School (hereinafter referred to as “the School”), an independent school approved for public tuition, operates under the following nondiscrimination, application, and enrollment policies. The Application Process and decisions regarding student enrollment are guided by the policies and procedures described in this policy.
The nondiscrimination policies laid out above and below apply to all prospective and current staff, and all prospective and current students, regardless of how a student’s tuition is funded.
The application and enrollment policies and associated enrollment procedures below only apply to publicly funded tuition students (i.e. students who reside in a non-operating Vermont school district that pays tuition for its resident students). The “Application Policy and Process for Publicly Funded Tuition Students”, “Procedures for Offering Enrollment for Publicly Funded Tuition Students”, and “Enrollment Process & Policy for Publicly Funded Students” described below only apply to publicly funded students. The School maintains separate application and enrollment policies and procedures, laid out above, for students who are privately placed without funding from their local school district.
Nondiscrimination Policy
Nondiscrimination Statement. No student shall be unlawfully excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any educational program or activity as the result of, or based upon, the student’s race, gender, color, creed, religion, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability, or any other reason set forth in state or federal law.
- The School complies with all requirements of the Vermont Public Accommodations Act (9 V.S.A. Chapter 139), and with all requirements of the Vermont Fair Employment Practices Act (21 V.S.A. Chapter 5, Subchapter 6) in all aspects of its recruitment, application, enrollment, operation, and employment activities.
- The School shall maintain and follow policies that implement this nondiscrimination statement. The School shall distribute such policies to students and families of prospective students, enrolled students, and on request, members of the student’s IEP team.
Application Policy and Process for Publicly Funded Tuition Students
An application for admission to the School shall include information about the student’s academic, athletic, and extracurricular interests and shall be submitted voluntarily by the student or their parent/guardian.
- The School may request additional information about the student’s academic, athletic, or extracurricular history, which shall not include any information that would reveal the need for a 504 accommodation or special education services.
- The School requires all prospective families to visit the school and meet with faculty and staff during the application process.
- The School requires all prospective families to sign an acknowledgement of the School’s pedagogical approach, mission, and code of conduct.
- The School may request information from the prospective student’s prior teachers; such request shall not include any information about the student’s educational needs.The School will not request any information about the student’s actual or suspected disabilities, prior testing for or diagnosis of a physical, emotional, mental, or cognitive condition, or participation in or receipt of special education services as part of the application process, but may request such information only after offering an invitation to the student to enroll.
- Any student interested in applying for enrollment in the School, or their family member or member of their educational support team, shall be provided with a copy of this and any other policy that implements its nondiscrimination statement.
- Any student interested in applying for enrollment in the School, or their family member or member of their educational support team, shall be provided with the School’s application package and offered any assistance or reasonable accommodation needed to complete and submit the application, including translation or interpretation services.
Procedures for Offering Enrollment for Publicly Funded Tuition Students
The School manages grade level and program capacity limits based on estimates of returning students, anticipated staffing, as well as facility and program requirements and constraints. Before extending an offer to enroll, the School will first determine if there is available capacity at the student’s grade level.
- When the number of applicants exceeds available capacity (either at the grade level or within specific academic, athletic, or extracurricular programs), priority will first be given to applicants with family members who are currently enrolled or were previously enrolled in the School, as well as students of faculty and staff, then to applicants whose interests are most closely aligned with the School’s programming, town of residence, and finally to applicants in the order in which the School received their applications during the current admissions cycle.
- Under no circumstances shall a student be denied acceptance for enrollment because of a disability, because they are eligible for special education services or because they are undergoing the comprehensive evaluation process for special education.
Enrollment Process & Policy for Publicly Funded Students
- If the student is offered enrollment, the School will send the parent or guardian an invitation to enroll the student, which will include a request for additional information about the student, including academic and disciplinary history, and information about actual or suspected disabilities and/or special education needs.
- Upon a student’s acceptance for enrollment, if the student requires accommodations or special education services and resides in a school district that does not operate a public school for the student’s grade level, the student shall be provisionally enrolled and the School will contact the student’s Local Education Authority (LEA) and request that a meeting be convened to determine how the student’s services shall be provided, pursuant to and consistent with Vermont State Board of Education Rule 2229.4.
- The LEA shall be responsible for the administration of the individualized education program (IEP) of a publicly funded student enrolled at the School, and the IEP team shall determine how the student will be provided a free and appropriate public education. Any required accommodations and services must be documented in a written agreement pursuant to Vermont State Board of Education Rule 2231, and shall be governed by the procedures in Rule 2229.4.
- Prior to enrollment, the student’s parent or guardian must enter into a written contract with the School and shall accept financial responsibility for any tuition, fees, or other costs not paid by the student’s LEA or school district.
- Nothing in this policy shall restrict the School from creating and preserving a safe and healthy environment for the entire School community and its members. The School may decline to enroll or may expel a student who is currently in a period of expulsion under 16 VSA §1163, or presents a threat to themselves or others, consistent with the School’s disciplinary policy.