Regional School Choice
The Regional School Choice Office (RSCO) was created by the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) to work with districts in the Greater Hartford area to conduct the Open Choice and magnet school lottery process. School choice is designed to provide parents with the opportunity to select an elementary and/or secondary school for their children to attend outside the traditional school district based on where the family lives. The program is in response to the Sheff v. O’Neil case and decision in 1997 and is intended to “reduce racial, ethnic and economic isolation” (Public Act 97-290).
The RSCO web site, accessed here, provides information about the schools, the application process, the annual lottery and transportation.
If a student is selected via the lottery process to attend a magnet or open choice school, the family is required to complete an annual residency verification form, sent by either Manchester Public Schools or the school being attended. This annual process ensures all residency information is current at both the magnet or open choice school and Manchester Public Schools.