Student Rights

The school pledges to allow all students to:

• Feel safe in the school environment.
• Take full advantage of learning opportunities.
• Work in an environment free from disruptions and chaos.
• Express opinions, ideas, thoughts and concerns.
• Have a healthy environment that is smoke, alcohol and drug free.
• Use school resources and facilities for self-improvement.
• Expect courtesy, fairness and respect from all members of the community.
• Be informed of all expectations and responsibilities.
• Take part in a variety of school activities.

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Equal Education Opportunity

Harmony Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in providing educational services, activities, and programs, including vocational and career technology programs. Harmony Public Schools also complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”), as amended, which incorporates and expands upon the requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, and any other legally-protected classification or status protected by applicable law.

Additionally, as required by Title IX, Harmony Public Schools does not (and is required not to) discriminate on the basis of sex in its educational programs or activities. This non-discrimination requirement also applies to admission and employment with Harmony Public Schools. Questions about issues related to Title IX may be referred to Harmony Public Schools’ designated Title IX Coordinator (as identified below, to the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights of the Department of Education, or both.

Other federal laws prohibiting discrimination include Title VI, the Age Discrimination Act, the Boy Scouts Act, and Title II of the ADA.

Harmony Public Schools has designated the following administrator as the Title IX Coordinator to address inquiries or concerns regarding discrimination on the basis of sex, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, or gender-based harassment: Charles Lambert, Director of Internal Investigations,1255 Enclave Parkway, Houston, Texas 77077, (713) 343-3333, clambert@harmonytx.org (opens in a new tab). Mr. Lambert may also receive inquiries or concerns regarding discrimination on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, or any other protected characteristics.

Reports may be made by any person and at any time, including during non-business hours, by mail, phone, or email. During school business hours, reports may also be made in person. Upon receiving notice of an allegation of sex-based harassment, the Title IX Coordinator or designee will promptly investigate and respond in accordance with Harmony Public Schools’ policy.

Harmony Public Schools has designated the following administrator as the ADA/Section 504 Coordinator to address inquiries or concerns regarding discrimination on the basis of disability: Ipek Torun, Director of 504 and Dyslexia , 1255 Enclave Parkway, Houston, Texas 77077, (713) 343-3333, itorun@harmonytx.org.

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Admission Policies and Procedures for Harmony Public Charter Schools

Harmony Public Schools requires applicants to submit a complete application form in order to be considered for admission. Admission applications must be submitted during the open enrollment period designated by Harmony Public Schools. Admission and enrollment shall be open to persons who reside within the geographic boundaries served by Harmony Public Schools, and who are eligible for admission based on lawful criteria identified in the Harmony Public Schools’ charter and in state law. And, as allowed by Chapter 12 of the Texas Education Code, Harmony Public Schools may admit a child of a school employee regardless of whether the child resides in the geographic area served by Harmony Public Schools. The total number of students enrolled in Harmony Public Schools shall not exceed the number of students approved in the charter or subsequent amendments. Total enrollment may further be limited by Harmony Public Schools based on occupancy limitations, code compliance, and staffing requirements as deemed necessary. For the first year of operation of a new campus which has the commissioner ‘approval on the first day of that school year, the application period will start on November 1st (beginning date) and end on March 15th (ending date). For the first year of operation for a new campus that has not yet been approved by TEA on the first day of that school year, the application period will start on January 10th (beginning date) and end on March 15th (ending date). For the following years, the beginning and ending dates of the application period shall be November 1st and February 10th of each year, respectively.

Lottery Procedures and Date when a Grade or Class is Oversubscribed

A “lottery” for purposes of the school’s admissions procedures is a random selection process that determines the order of enrollment of student applicants. An annual lottery is required for each campus if the number of applicants for that campus exceeds the number of available seats. The lottery shall take place within fifteen days after the closing date of the application period. The required lottery will be conducted via lottery selection software. To ensure that the required lottery winner list and the waiting list are selected randomly, the principal or designee of each campus will conduct the computerized lottery, supervised by a representative from the Cluster Office to which the school reports.

Admission Process of Returning Students

Returning students (students who currently attended the school) who remain qualified to attend the school, and who notify the school of their intent to return for the next school year by the fourth Friday of January, are exempt from the lottery and will remain enrolled. Parents shall submit a Proof of Residency with each year re-enrollment.

Siblings Policy and Children of the School’s Founders and Employees

Children of the school’s founders, teachers, and staff (so long as the total number of students allowed does not exceed 3% of the total enrollment) are the initial category exempt from the required lottery requirements, and, space permitting, are automatically enrolled.

Subsequently, space permitting, siblings of returning students currently enrolled at a Harmony Public School campus who have qualified as returning students constitute a second category of student applicants who are automatically enrolled;

Thereafter, space permitting, siblings of applicants selected through the required lottery who were also registered for that lottery constitute the third automatically enrolled category.

“Sibling” shall mean a biological or legally adopted brother or sister residing in the same household as the applicant. Cousins, nieces, nephews and unrelated children sharing an address with the applicant are not siblings. Sibling enrollment is dependent on available space and does not guarantee enrollment.

Priority of admission in the order of each above-listed category of lottery-exempt students shall also be determined by lottery.

Development of a Waiting List

The required lottery will be paused momentarily after the computerized lottery fills all available seats allowed by the enrollment cap. A lottery drawing will then continue, and the randomly-selected numbers will be used to create an annual waiting list. As space becomes available, applicants will be called from the waiting list, beginning with applicants with the lowest number assignment in the order of each category. Applicants selected by lottery will be “deemed admitted” and may proceed from provisional admission to enrollment.

Applications that are Submitted Outside the Designated Application Period

If a student applies to the school outside of the designated application period, the student will be placed on a waiting list in the order of the category and date in which the application is received.

Students with Disqualifying Disciplinary Histories

As authorized by Harmony Public Schools’ charter and Education Code § 12.111(a)(5)(A), the School shall exclude from enrollment those students who: (a) Has engaged in conduct outlined in Section 37.006 related to placement in a disciplinary alternative education program or a juvenile alternative education program; (b) Has engaged in conduct outlined in Section 37.007, Education Code, related to expulsion; or (c) Has been convicted of a criminal offense or has a juvenile court adjudication.

Documents and Information Applicants are Required to Provide

Applicants must submit a completed application form in order to be considered for admission. The application form must be signed and dated by the parent(s). The application form must include the following items:

• Applicant’s name (first, last, and middle names)
• Applicant’s birth date
• Applicant’s current grade level and grade applied for
• Applicant’s residential address
• Phone numbers
• Applicant’s parents’ name and signature
• Whether the applicant has a sibling already admitted to attending the school

Applicants are not required to provide discipline records (whether the applicant has a documented history of a criminal offense, a juvenile court adjudication, or discipline problems under Chapter 37 of the Education Code), transcript, or other academic records until after they are offered admission.

Non-Discrimination Statement as Part of the School’s Admission Policy

It is the policy of Harmony Public Schools to comply with all state and federal regulations regarding admission and not to discriminate during the admission on the basis of sex; national origin; ethnicity; religion; disability; academic, artistic, or athletic ability; or the district the child would otherwise attend.

Students who are Homeless

Homeless children and youth are ensured specific educational rights and protections under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act of 2001. “Children and youth who are homeless,” as defined by this federal law, means and includes children who:

• Are abandoned in hospitals, or are awaiting foster care placement.
• Are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations.
• Are living in emergency or transitional shelters.
• Are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative accommodations.
• Are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason.
• Have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.
• Lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.

Children who are homeless will be provided flexibility regarding certain policies and procedures, including proof of residency requirements; immunization requirements; educational program placement; award of credit; eligibility requirements for participating in extracurricular activities; continuing enrollment in the “school of origin” or enrollment in a new school in the attendance area where the student is currently residing; graduation requirements; and other related matters.

Questions concerning assistance offered to homeless students can be obtained from Campus Federal Program Coordinators.

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Student Information

Any student admitted to Harmony Public Schools must provide records, such as report cards from the previous school attended, to verify his or her academic standing. Verification of residency and current immunization records are also required.

No later than 30 days after enrolling in Harmony Public Schools, the parent and school in which the student was previously enrolled shall furnish records which verify the identity of the student. These records may include the student’s birth certificate, or a copy of the student’s school records from the most recently attended school. Students will not be denied enrollment because they failed to meet this requirement.

Harmony Public Schools will forward a student’s records on request to a school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll without the necessity of the parent’s consent.

Undocumented Students

Enrollment may not be denied to children who are not legally admitted into the United States.

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Residency Verification

The Texas Education Code authorizes schools to obtain

evidence that a person is eligible to attend public schools. To be eligible for continued enrollment in Harmony Public Schools, each student’s parent must show proof of residency at the time of enrollment.

● Current Driver's license or identification card issued by the State of Texas

● Current property tax bill with parent/guardian's name and property address;

● A recently paid rent receipt.

● A current lease agreement.

● The most recent tax receipt indicating home

ownership.

●A utility bill dated within 60 days indicating the address and name of the residence occupiers.

● Mailing address of the residence occupiers.

● Visual inspection of the residence.

● Interviews with persons with relevant information.

● Building permits issued to a parent on or before

September 1 of the school year in which admission is

sought as evidence of residency for the school year in which admission is sought only.

Residency for Service Members

A person whose parent is an active-duty member of the armed forces of the United States, including the state military forces or a reserve component of the armed forces, may establish residency by providing Harmony a copy of a military order requiring the parent’s transfer to a military installation in the school’s geographic boundaries. Proof of residence in Harmony’s geographic boundaries shall be provided not later than the 90th day after the arrival date specified in the order. “Residence” includes residence in a military temporary lodging facility.

Falsification of residence on an enrollment form is a

criminal offense." Falsification of residence on an enrollment form is a criminal offense.

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Pre-Kindergarten Age Requirement

To be eligible for Pre-Kindergarten, your child must reside within the geographic boundaries served by Harmony Public Schools (unless state law provides otherwise). Additionally, your child must be at least three for PK-3 or four years old for PK-4 as of September 1 and meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Be unable to speak and comprehend the English language;
• Be educationally disadvantaged;
• Be homeless, regardless of the residence of the child, of either parent of the child, or of the child’s guardian or other person having lawful control of the child;
• Be the child of an active duty member of the armed forces of the United States, including the state military forces or a reserve component of the armed forces, who is ordered to active duty by proper authority;
• Be the child of a member of the armed forces of the United States, including the state military forces or a reserve component of the armed forces, who was injured or killed while serving on active duty;
• Be or ever have been in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services; or
• Be the child of a person eligible for the Star of Texas Award.
• Be the child of a Harmony Public Schools Teacher.

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Kindergarten Age Requirement

To qualify for the kindergarten, the child must be five years old on or before September 1st of the school year they are applying for.

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First Grade Age Requirement

To qualify for first grade the child must be six years old on or before September 1st of the school year they are applying for.

Exception: Any five-year-old child is eligible for the first grade for the full school term if the student has completed kindergarten at the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission (TEPSAC) accredited private school or at a public school in another state or has been enrolled in the first grade in a public school in another state prior to transferring to a Texas public school. [TEC §42.003, (c)] The term “enrolled” means actually receiving instruction by attendance in a public school rather than just being registered prior to receiving instruction.

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