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The primary rationale for Fulton County Schools' pursuit of charter system status was to improve student performance through greater flexibility with appropriate levels of accountability. Given this purpose, school leaders and School Governance Councils have the opportunity to develop concepts that will meet the school's identified need and drive sustainable improvements in student achievement. In the development of its charter system framework, Fulton County Schools included a process by which schools would develop and submit proposals to waive district and/or state law or policy in order to implement a school-based solution. These proposals are known as Requests for Flexibility (RFF).
School Governance Councils can submit RFFs once per year through the district-managed process. The process for submitting RFFs includes a presentation of the proposal to the school community, a 2/3 vote of the School Governance Council, and final approval by the Superintendent.
The objectives of the process are to ensure:
- The proposed intervention is aligned to the school's needs;
- School community support for the proposal; and
- District support for the proposal.
Requests for Flexibility Instructions
Provided below are the links to instructions, forms, and proposals needed to submit an RFF during the 2019-20 approval cycle. The Governance and Flexibility department is excited to offer 3 different opportunities to submit an RFF request. We strongly encourage you to review the Overview and Instructions document, the 2019-20 RFF calendar, and the RFF automated form help guides before beginning the process.
RFF Automated Form- This link will allow you to start a brand new Request for Flexibility. (Note: You must use your Fulton County email credentials to log in and access the form.)
RFF Overview and Instructions - The following document gives general instructions and information on the Request for Flexibility process
2019-2020 RFF Calendar Dates- An overview of the timeline, phases, requirements, and deadlines for submitting and RFF.
RFF Automated Form Help Guide - This help guide assists with the process of using the automated online RFF form.
PDF and Editing an RFF Form - This help guide assists with editing and making changes to the automated RFF form. In addition, this guide assists with creating a PDF of the automated form for posting to a school's website.
View and Edit Pending Requests - The following link allows access to saved and submitted forms. Click here if you have started a form and saved to return later. (Note: You must use your Fulton County email credentials to log in and access the form.)
Post Public Comment Form
The Post Public Comment form is now embedded into the automated RFF form. There is no need for separate documents. The Post Public Comment form will become available in the automated form after it has gone through the vetting process and been approved for posting for public comment.
Public Comment Resources - A major component of the RFF process is the 30-day public comment period during which the School Governance Council (SGC) invites parents, staff, students and community members to provide feedback on the proposed RFF. We have highlighted a number of examples of community outreach from current SGCs to help you in this process.
Checklists and Scripts - Public Comment Checklist, Council Meeting Script, and Council Meeting Handout will keep you on track.
Sample Announcements - Check out Holcomb Bridge's website and Centennial's letter sharing the public comment process.
Sample Feedback Forms - Here are some examples of feedback forms using Google Doc (Cambridge), Flyer (Medlock Bridge) and Paper Form (Shakerag).
Sample Q&As - Shakerag SGC and Centennial SGC created Q&A documents to answer commonly asked questions regarding their proposed RFFs.
Additional RFF Information
