At this time, we are no longer accepting additional comments or feedback. Thank you to everyone who took time to join the virtual forums or utilize the online comment form to help WS/FCS continue to stay informed of the needs of our communities and influence potential changes for choice and assignment policies. Our team is now compiling all feedback received and developing a report of information recently collected. Later this summer a full report of the fall survey and the Spring forums will be available so you can get a closer look at identified areas of success, challenges, and improvement

WS/FCS Choice Plan allows for students to attend their residential school, choose another school within their zone (zones are based on the student's home address), or apply for transfers to schools outside of their zone. 

More about choice and assignment is available by clicking this link to visit the Student Assignment webpage.

Annually, students receive letters - typically from December to March - indicating their school assignments. The letter explains in detail what families must do if they would like for their child to exchange schools.

• Every child is guaranteed a seat in her/his residential school.
• Pre-School programs for children ages 3 to 5 are available. Eligibility is based on income and is for students who have needs based on educational screening or developmental delays. 
• Elementary and middle school students, if electing choice, are guaranteed one of their top three choices in their zone. If looking to attend school outside their zone, a Choice card must be requested. It is important to note that transportation is not provided to school outside of a student's zone.
• High school students can apply for a Choice transfer to another high school. Students are assigned in order that their Choice applications are received. High schoolers must provide their own transportation if they are granted a Choice transfer. 
• Magnet schools are an option for every student. A magnet school application is required. Transportation is available on a limited basis to students who attend a magnet school, with the exception of the Downtown School. 

All Choice options are dependent upon space availability.

In the fall of 2020, WS/FCS invited families to complete a survey on the perceptions and challenges of the district’s school choice and assignment policies. We are grateful that nearly 7,000 responses were received to the survey. While we had great response to the survey, we still wanted to hear more from you!

Out of the district's commitment to equity and access, we invited community members to participate in one of three virtual Community Forums during the month of May (May 17, May 19, and May 24). The forums were intended to be listening sessions that brought the community together for intentional conversations about experiences of school choice, student and family needs, and how the district can be successful in best meeting those needs with new plans by eliminating barriers to opportunities.

During each forum participants broke out into smaller groups. Each group had a community facilitator who helped create a space for sharing safely, guided the conversation, invited participation, and listened to what is being shared. There were also notetakers who recorded key things heard.

The Community Forums on Choice were facilitated by a local consultant, NCCJ: National Conference on Community and Justice. For more than 80 years, NCCJ has promoted understanding and respect among all people in the Triad. Today, NCCJ specializes in human relations and leadership training for Triad youth and adults. Their programs and trainings for educators and students equip participants with the knowledge and tools they need to create more inclusive spaces by helping people examine how their unconscious biases, experiences and identities shape their perspective of the world, themselves and others. Participants learn strategies for creating and fostering more inclusive and equitable learning environments.

Small group conversations were led by local community leaders from partners like Action4Equity, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Black Philanthropy Initiative, Coalition for Equity in Public Education, FCAE (Forsyth County Association of Educators), Hispanic League, Ministers' Conference of Winston-Salem and Vicinity, NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), Neighbors for Better Neighborhoods, North Carolina Congress of Latino Organizations, and The Forsyth Promise.