VIDALIA — Parents who want their children to attend Concordia Parish’s magnet program have until Monday to turn in their applications.

The first round of the school’s students will be chosen from the entire parish by a lottery system.

A magnet school offers specialized courses and does not rely on school district lines, but rather can draw students from the entire parish.

The program will have a math, science and technology focus for grades kindergarten to fifth grade and will be placed in the current Ridgecrest School site.

Concordia Parish School District Director of Academic Programs Paul Nelson said his office had received approximately 150 applications as of last week, but was getting 10 new applications each day this week.

“We’ve been getting a terrific response from the parents,” Nelson said. “Hopefully, we’ll continue to receive applications up until the deadline, but parents do need to be aware that it’s a very firm deadline.

“We have a lot of work to do after we receive all the applications before we begin the lottery process, so we want to make sure they’re all in on time.”

While the students will be accepted into the program on the random lottery, they will have to maintain a 2.5 GPA and keep good behavior and attendance records to remain enrolled in the program.

Each grade level has 20 available slots for potential students, Nelson said.

A sibling rule, allowing a brother or sister of a student who was chosen in the lottery the choice to attend the school, will also be put in place.

“That might be a problem when we get to the last student, and they have a younger brother, but we would ask the parents if they wanted that child to attend and go from there,” Nelson said. “We would figure out a way to make it work.”

After all applications are submitted, Nelson said his staff will begin the lottery process, and letters of acceptance should be sent out by Thursday.

Applications for the magnet program are available at the central administration building on U.S. 84 in front of the new municipal complex or online at www.cpsbla.us.

Deadline for the applications is 4 p.m. Monday.

Applications can be dropped off at the central building or mailed to Magnet School Program, Concordia Parish School System, P.O. Box 950,
Vidalia, LA 71373.