Parent Information Center

FRIDAY HOURS

The Parent Information Center will close at 11:30 a.m. on the following Fridays for Staff Professional Development.

October 10
December 12
February 13
April 10
June 12

Residency Policy

APPROVED BY THE EVERETT SCHOOL COMMITTEE ON DECEMBER 19, 2022

In order to attend Everett Public Schools, a student must reside in the City of Everett. The residence of a minor child is presumed to be the legal, primary residence of the parent(s) or guardian(s) who have physical custody of the child.“Residence” is the primary place where a person dwells permanently, not temporarily, and is the place that is the center of his or her domestic, social, and civic life.

Temporary residence in the City of Everett, solely for the purpose of attending an Everett public school, shall not be considered residency.In determining residency, Everett Public Schools reserves its right to request a variety of documentation and to conduct an investigation into where a student actually resides. Because residency can, and does, change for students and their families during the academic year, Everett Public Schools may continue to verify residency after the commencement of classes.

Also, Everett Public Schools may act upon anonymous tips it receives to conduct a residency verification investigation.Everett Public Schools may request additional documentation, and may use the assistance of the School Department’s Attendance Officers to conduct investigations into a student’s residence.Upon an initial determination by Everett Public Schools that a student is actually residing in a city or town other than Everett, the student’s enrollment shall be terminated immediately.

PENALTIES
In addition to termination of enrollment and the imposition of other penalties permitted by law, (M.G.L Chapter 76, Section 5), Everett Public Schools reserves the right to recover restitution based upon the costs of educational services provided during the period of non-residency.

REESTABLISHING RESIDENCY
All students will be required to re-establish residency when they approach the third, sixth, and ninth grades. All students entering Everett High School grade 9 for the 2023-2024 academic year will be required to reestablish residency. Beginning in the 2024-2025 school year students entering grade 6 as well as students entering grade 9 will be required to reestablish residency. Beginning in the 2025-2026 school year all students entering grade 3, 6 and 9 must reestablish residency to continue to be enrolled in the Everett Public Schools.

Students must provide the school with one document from both column A and B.

Column A Evidence of Residency	Column BEvidence of Occupancy
Recent mortgage payment (or Property tax bill) OR Copy of lease and recent rental receipt OR Residency Certification (provided by City Clerk’s office and recent rental receipt) OR Section 8 or Housing Agreement	One of the following bills (dated within the past 30 days) or evidence of a utility account established at an Everett address with name: Excise Tax Gas Electric Home Telephone (no cellphones)

ENTITLEMENTS FOR NEWCOMER AND REFUGEE STUDENTS
Newcomer and refugee school-aged students are legally entitled to equal access to a free public education without regard to their or their parents' or guardians' national origin or immigration status as established by the U.S. Supreme Court in Plyler v. Doe, 457 U.S. 202 (1982). Newcomer and refugee school-aged students have the right to attend the public schools in the town in which they reside and must be permitted to enroll in public schools without undue delay.

In cases where newly arrived families do not have the documents the districts ordinarily use to verify eligibility for enrollment, the District will work with the family to find alternative means to establish residency or proof of age and facilitate prompt enrollment of students, including but not limited to a residency check or an affidavit from the parent indicating the child's date of birth.

ENTITLEMENTS FOR STUDENTS FACING HOMELESSNESS
Students who qualify as homeless are entitled to immediate enrollment in school under federal law, even if they lack the paperwork that the district typically requires for enrollment. For example, students are considered homeless if they are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing or economic hardship; are living in motels or hotels; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; or have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used to provide regular sleeping accommodations.

For more information, please see:
McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Advisories.
Information on the rights of all children to enroll in school from the Department of Justice

About Us

The Parent Information Center (PIC) guides families through the process of registering students for school and helps families find local resources and services necessary to support their child’s education and development. PIC staff provides services in the following languages: English, Portuguese, Spanish, Haitian Creole and French. Should language support be necessary for other languages, please inform PIC staff of your needs.

Community Resources and Information

The Parent Information Center is a centralized location designed to assist parents and guardians in their role of providing education and well-being of their student(s). The Parent Information Center offers informational meetings that will assist parents in understanding the full range of services and supports available through the Everett Public Schools. Community based providers of services assisting Everett families present information about their services and resources. Consistent with the Everett Public Schools commitment to meeting the linguistic and cultural needs of Everett’s diverse community, meetings and presentations will be presented in languages reflective of Everett’s population whenever possible.

Pre-School

The Everett Public Schools offers free pre-school programs at the Adams School and the Webster School Extension. Children must be three (3) or four (4) years of age before September 1st of the school year in which they will enter.

Registration is at the Parent Information Center, which is located at City Hall. Please call 617-544-6955 to make an appointment to register your child. Registration must be done in person.Within the first week on entering Pre-Kindergarten, all students are screened.

The following documents must be completed by the parent.

Massachusetts School Health Record – to be completed by the child’s physician
Health Questionnaire – to be completed by the parents
Family Data Questionnaire – to be completed by the parents
Three (3) Emergency Cards – to be completed by the parents

Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten screening is mandated by federal and state law. The screening is a general assessment of your child’s physical, social, emotional and intellectual development. It is not a readiness test or an evaluation. Its purpose is to gain as much information as possible to enable the school to identify those children who may need additional support in school and to meet those children’s needs. The Kindergarten teacher, guidance counselor, school nurse, and speech therapist will interview you and your child.