One weekend for school enrollment remains
Aug. 18—About a quarter of families still need to complete pre-enrollment for the St. Joseph School District ahead of the first day of classes Monday.
If some or all of the necessary information can't be completed on Monday morning, and nothing was done beforehand, a child's first day of classes may have to occur on another date. The online form (www.sjsd.k12.mo.us/departments/student-services/enrollment) can be used to figure out everything in advance, and the enrollment center remains open until 4:30 p.m. Friday at 1415 N. 26th St. Contact enrollmentcenter@sjsd.k12.mo.us for more information.
The enrollment form will assist district staff in completing enrollment on Monday even if it is done on Saturday and Sunday, when they are not working, according to Board of Education member Isaura Garcia.
"The good thing is, we have the weekend," she said. "So, you just have to go to the website, fill out the required information and they're good to go on Aug. 21. Even if you have to later turn in the birth certificate and immunization records, the children are at least in the system, so it makes the process a bit less time-consuming on Monday. Online registration is the best thing to do on the weekend if you've not yet done it."
Although the district has lost enrollment overall in the last five years, the population of Latino students is growing steadily, and Garcia said she believes there is a language barrier in the enrollment process. Garcia, who works as a language interpreter as well as in other roles, created a Spanish video on social media to promote enrollment and explained why this process matters.
Families can enroll kids in person once they report to school on Monday, Aug. 21. However, if they have done no paperwork at all, children possibly won't start class at the same time as their peers. Pre-enrollment helps families understand which school their child is assigned to, what documents (birth certificates and proof of local residency, for example) need to be on file, what medical exams need to be done and what immunizations are required. Some vaccines, conferring immunity for polio and measles-mumps-rubella, are required by state law for all public school students. Others, like the one for COVID-19, are recommended, but optional.
Shannon Nolte, whose job as a school district director includes many services and student matters that don't relate to what happens inside the classroom, expressed hope this week that enrollment participation will get better by Aug. 21. Staff are ready to cover gaps.
"We should have plenty of help at the schools to get everybody enrolled, we want to see everybody enrolled, and we want to welcome everybody back next Monday when we start," Nolte said.
Marcus Clem can be reached at marcus.clem@newspressnow.com. Follow him on Twitter: @NPNowClem
