Austin, TX— The Austin Independent School District today extended the deadline to submit choice forms for the IDEA program at Allan to March 9. Superintendent Meria Carstarphen released the following statement:

"From day one, our commitment has been about families having and making choices. This administration has been clear that we will continue to be flexible and will accommodate any of our families.

"I am confident that our families had information and are capable and informed decision-makers for their children.

"To inform families of their options, schools have hosted parent meetings, sent reminders home with students and made individual calls to every affected home. The district mailed official choice letters explaining the options and made automated calls reminding parents of the choice form deadline.

"Our schools and parent support specialists have not received any requests for extensions from parents affected by the choice. In fact, based on the volume of calls and other messages being sent home, some parents have told us they have been contacted too many times about this topic.

"While I feel certain that parents knew about their options before the Feb. 24 deadline, and while we have no request for an extension from parents affected by the choice, we will extend the deadline to March 9 in order to alleviate any lingering concerns from other community stakeholders.

"This week, the Office of Student Services will again call affected Allan families to confirm their assigned school. We will continue to accept choice forms and be flexible, as we always intend to be with AISD parents."

The original Feb. 24 deadline was determined in consultation with affected schools to ensure that the district and schools could develop school schedules, make staffing decisions, and plan appropriately for special needs students.

However, the administration will extend the deadline to March 9 and work with schools to mitigate the impact the extension will have on the timeline and planning process.

For more information, contact the Department of Public Relations and Multicultural Outreach at 512-414-2414.