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Magnet Office Contact Information
- Mandy Arentoft
- Magnet/SAS Coordinator
- (818) 271-2991
- mandy.arentoft@lausd.net
- Magnet Office (Room K107)
Office Hours: 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Frequently Asked Questions
- Magnet Transportation
- On-Time CHOICES Applications
- Late CHOICES Applications
- How to Accept/Decline CHOICES Offers
- Information for Waitlisted Applicants
- CHOICES Explainer Videos
Magnet Transportation
- What are the current magnet bus routes?
- How can I check if my student is eligible to ride the bus?
- How can I request transportation if I live within the 5-mile radius?
- How can I change my student's assigned bus stop?
- Who do I contact if my student has a problem with the bus?
What are the current magnet bus routes?
How can I check if my student is eligible to ride the bus?
How can I request transportation if I live within the 5-mile radius?
Students who live within the 5-mile radius but who live at least 3 miles from school may now make a formal request to ride the magnet bus. Students will only be eligible to use current bus stops. The current stops will remain outside of the 5-mile radius and stops will not be changed.
Process for determining transportation eligibility of magnet students residing within the 5-mile radius:
- Check the Magnet Bus Routes information to verify that there is a stop that will work for your student.
- Contact Kennedy's Magnet Coordinator Mandy Arentoft by email (mandy.arentoft@lausd.net) or in person at the Magnet Office (K107) to make a request for your student to ride the bus.
- Your request should include:
- Student's Full Name (first and last)
- Student's District ID
- Requested Bus Route/Stop
Upon receiving the request, the Magnet Coordinator will contact the Area Bus Supervisor to determine if there are open seats available on the route requested. If there is space available, the Magnet Coordinator will confirm the exception with the District’s Transportation Office. If an exception is granted, the Magnet Coordinator will issue a Temporary Bus pass until a permanent bus pass is granted.
Transportation eligibility will be re-evaluated every school year.
How can I change my student's assigned bus stop?
If you need to request an alternate pick up or drop off location for your student, please complete the Dual Stop Request Form and return it to Kennedy's Magnet Coordinator Mandy Arentoft by email to mandy.arentoft@lausd.net or in person to the Magnet Office (K107).
NOTE: Route changes can take 7-10 business days to process. No route changes are processed during the first three weeks of the fall semester.
Who do I contact if my student has a problem with the bus?
On-Time CHOICES Applications
- How are priority points assigned?
- How are priority points used in the selection process?
- What happens to my priority points if I apply to more than one magnet program?
- Do priority points apply on LATE applications?
- What happens to my priority points if my application has an error or I am not eligible for the program?
- What happens to my priority points if I decline a magnet placement offer?
- What happens to my priority points if I leave a magnet?
- What happens if I am already in a magnet and apply to a different magnet?
- What if my student resides within your school’s residential boundaries?
How are priority points assigned?
How are priority points used in the selection process?
The Magnet Program is a Court-Ordered voluntary integration program open to all L.A. Unified students to reduce the harms of racial isolation. The on-time student selection process for magnet programs is based on the Magnet Priority Point System and the Court-Ordered reduction of the Harms of Racial Isolation.
Students are assigned points based on 5 criteria (see "How are prioirty points assigned?"). Once an on time application is submitted, the information is verified by the District’s Information Technology Division (ITD), and the sum of these points is utilized in a fair and secure computerized selection process.
Each magnet program’s openings are determined by the need to maintain a racially balanced enrollment and by available space. Any student who sent in an on-time application, but was not selected, is placed on a waiting list at their first choice school.
It is the Parents’/Guardians’ responsibility to verify the student’s address, grade and ethnicity with the current L.A. Unified school of attendance prior to the application deadline.
What happens to my priority points if I apply to more than one magnet program?
Selection Process for Applications to Multiple Programs:
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You may apply to up to three different magnet programs. However, the second and third choices are optional; you may choose to apply to a single program.
- The Magnet Priority Points are used for the applicant’s first and optional second or third choice.
- If not selected to their first choice, the applicant will be considered for their second and/or third choice.
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If selected to any one of their choices, the applicant will not be on the waiting list for the other choice(s).
- If not selected into a magnet program, the applicant will be placed on the waiting list for their first choice only.
DO NOT APPLY FOR A SECOND OR THIRD CHOICE PROGRAM THAT YOU ARE NOT PREPARED TO ACCEPT. If you decline the program, you will lose your priority points.
Do priority points apply on LATE applications?
What happens to my priority points if my application has an error or I am not eligible for the program?
Erroneous/Ineligible Applications: Applicants who make an error on their application will be mailed a correction letter in February. Applicants who do not correct the information and return the letter to the Student Integration Services by the deadline will not receive points. There are no points given for submitting an application or for applying to a program for which the applicant is ineligible.
What happens to my priority points if I decline a magnet placement offer?
What happens to my priority points if I leave a magnet?
What happens if I am already in a magnet and apply to a different magnet?
What if my student resides within your school’s residential boundaries?
Magnet Programs:
All students interested in attending one of our magnet programs must submit an application through CHOICES. No priority is given to students residing within the school boundaries.
Schools for Advanced Studies (SAS):
Students residing within the school boundaries of a designated SAS site who meet the eligibility criteria must be placed in the site’s SAS gifted/ talented program (unless a parent has opted out). No formal application is required for a qualified student residing within school boundaries since SAS is the school site’s GATE instructional program for its students. If you reside within our school’s attendance boundaries, please contact our main office for residential enrollment procedures.
Late CHOICES Applications
1) WHEN DOES THE LATE APPLICATION OPEN? It begins February 1, 2023
2) IS THERE A DEADLINE FOR THE LATE APPLICATION? There is no end to the Late Application period. We continue to accept applications through the following school year.* Seats for late applicants will become available after all of the on-time applicant students on the waiting list have been offered placement at the selected school site.
3) WILL I RECEIVE WAITING LIST POINTS? Waiting list points are not assigned to late applications.
4) TO HOW MANY SCHOOLS, CAN I APPLY? You may apply to as many schools/programs as you would like by submitting multiple applications. Each application will only accept one choice per program.
5) WHAT PRIORITIES ARE ASSIGNED FOR LATE APPLICATIONS? We process applications on a first-come, first-served basis. We will make school assignments on the late applications, in the order received, once we have processed the on-time applications.
6) CAN I DELETE MY APPLICATION FROM THE ON-TIME PERIOD? Not at this time. The deadline to delete the on-time application was January 20, 2023.
7) IF I AM ACCEPTED INTO A MAGNET PROGRAM THROUGH THE LATE APPLICATION PROCESS AND I DECLINE IT, WILL I LOSE ALL MY MAGNET POINTS? No, the late application process does not affect a change in Magnet points.
8) IF I AM SELECTED AND ACCEPT MY MAGNET SCHOOL PLACEMENT AND I AM ON THE WAITING LIST AT A DUAL LANGUAGE EDUCATION SCHOOL, DO I LOSE MY WAITING LIST SPOT AT THE DUAL LANGUAGE EDUCATION SCHOOL? No, the two programs are managed independently. For example, if you accept a Magnet placement, you will remain on the waiting list for the Dual Language Education program. However, if you are also offered a Dual Language Education program seat, you must choose one program. Upon acceptance, you will be declined at your previous placement.
9) IF I AM APPLYING TO ONE OF THE NEW DUAL LANGUAGE PROGRAMS, IS MY APPLICATION CONSIDERED LATE? No, we added new programs based on parent interest. Applications will be processed on a rolling basis.
10) IF I HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT MY LATE APPLICATION, WHOM CAN I CONTACT? Please contact the school/program applied to for more information.
* We will accept Late Applications through January 2024. Dual Language Education Schools will accept late applications through the end of the school year.
How to Accept/Decline CHOICES Offers
Information for Waitlisted Applicants
If your student is on the waitlist for one of our magnets or Schools for Advanced Studies (SAS) program, you will be contacted directly by our school if/when space is available.
Please review the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) below regarding your child’s magnet/SAS waitlist status. If you have additional questions, please contact Kennedy's magnet/SAS coordinator at mandy.arentoft@lausd.net. Due to the high volume of inquiries, thank you for your patience with response time.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- What is my student’s waitlist number?
- When will you contact me about an available seat?
- If I accept a seat at another school, will my student be removed from your school’s waitlist?
- How and when should my waitlisted student be verified as eligible for Kennedy’s SAS/Gifted Magnet?
- What if my student has a sibling in magnet/SAS at your school? Does my student receive priority placement?
What is my student’s waitlist number?
Per District policy, magnet/SAS sites are not able to share exact waitlist numbers with parents/guardians. (Only Affiliated Charter Schools are permitted to share this information.) If/when a seat becomes available and your student is next on the list, we will contact you directly to offer enrollment.
When will you contact me about an available seat?
The waitlist timeline varies for each school and student, depending on grade level enrollment capacity and your student’s waitlist number. Please note that our school monitors our enrollment capacity very closely. As seats become available, we will contact waitlisted applicants to offer enrollment. This could occur any time from mid-March through the 2nd week of the fall semester in upcoming school year, as space is available. Late/waitlist space is not guaranteed.
If I accept a seat at another school, will my student be removed from your school’s waitlist?
No. If you accept a seat at another Choices program or enroll in your school of residence, you will remain on our school’s waitlist. If/when we are able to offer your student a seat, you may choose to change your enrollment decision at that time. If you accept the late/waitlist placement at our school, your previous acceptance and enrollment will be auto-declined. All declines are final.
How and when should my waitlisted student be verified as eligible for Kennedy’s SAS/Gifted Magnet?
In order to officially offer your student a seat, your student must meet one of the three eligibility criteria for gifted magnets/SAS. If your student’s eligibility is not available in the district’s system, we will work with you and the school of attendance to obtain verification of eligibility if/when the seat is offered.
For applicants currently enrolled in an LAUSD school, we will contact your student’s current school of attendance to verify eligibility.
For applicants currently enrolled in a non-district school, we will contact you to request that your student’s current school of attendance completes and submits the Verification of Eligibility form. CLICK HERE for more information about the late verification process.
What if my student has a sibling in magnet/SAS at your school? Does my student receive priority placement?
Siblings receive priority placement for on-time Choices applications only. If you submitted an on-time Choices application for a student whose sibling is currently enrolled at our SAS site, your student will be at the top of the waitlist. However, if you submitted a late Choices application, your student will be on the waitlist in the order the application was submitted.