SEATTLE - Seattle Public Schools has officially returned to a neighborhood-based system of assigning students to schools, similar to one it abandoned about 30 years ago.
Seattle Public Schools has officially returned to a neighborhood-based system of assigning students to schools, similar to one it abandoned about 30 years ago in the name of racial integration.
With unanimous vote at 11 p.m. Wednesday, the School Board approved a new set of boundaries for most of the district's schools that will determine where students will be guaranteed a spot. The boundaries will be phased in starting next fall with students in kindergarten, sixth and ninth grades.
Students still can apply to attend any school but won't get in if those who live within the school's boundaries fill it up first. The district also won't provide as much bus transportation — even to alternative schools, which won't have boundaries, and have been all-city draws.
Some think the board is moving too fast — drawing boundaries before it can assure that students will get a high-quality education at all its schools. The plan also is strongly opposed in some areas where parents say the lines divide communities.
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