School Admissions: Top Chicago Public School Makes Mistake, Retracts Offer For 500 Students

Almost 500 students in a top Chicago public school were mistakenly accepted for next school year. Acknowledging the oversight in school admissions, the institution retracted the offers, which left the parents and students enraged. The school district is trying to ease the tension by consulting with the parents.

Chicago Sun Times reported that the elementary school, LaSalle Language Academy, inadvertently sent 512 letters to parents informing them that their children got in. However, there were actually just 16 slots in total for incoming first to eighth grade students and the mistake was blamed on an "internal error" which was later advised to the Chicago Public Schools (CPS). "Unfortunately, due to an error in assigning transfer students to LaSalle, CPS discovered that LaSalle does not have enough available seats for the number of offers that were made," the school admissions letter stated.

Why Parents Prefer Top Chicago Public School LaSalle Language Academy

Per Education News, LaSalle's curriculum allows for the students to learn languages like French, Italian, Mandarin and Spanish and it's a big help considering 30 percent of enrollees belong to low-income families who normally cannot afford this kind of privilege. LaSalle's school admissions are processed through a computerized lottery, but students who have siblings already attending the school are given priority. It caters to residents within 1.5 miles around the district.

School Admissions Mistake Highlight Flawed Chicago Public School System

The parents received the letters rescinding their child's acceptance to the top Chicago public school a few days late. For many of them, this was the only institution that approved their application after trying out five or six other public schools.

The CPS acknowledged the delay, citing they were dealing with budget talks that lead to the teachers strike, as Parent Herald previously reported. "The application and enrollment process is an emotional time for many families, and I want to assure you that we will work individually with your family to make sure you understand your options," said CPS admissions head Kathryn Ellis in her message to parents.

School Admissions Offer Solutions

The school district has been coordinating with the families affected to offer some alternative solutions. This includes either a reinstatement in other schools that have rejected earlier applications or referrals to other schools, per Chicago Tribune. "LaSalle was my son's ONLY offer although they promptly pointed me to my neighborhood school...overcrowded, of course," one parent told Chicago Sun Times.

What can you say about this issue? Did you think CPS handled the issue properly? Sound off in the comments!