School district asking parents to hurry and re-enroll students

Jun. 8—Norman school district officials are encouraging parents and guardians who haven't already done so to re-enroll their children for the 2023-2024 school year as soon as possible.

Parents need to re-enroll returning students before they are assigned classrooms, and Norman Public Schools needs to get an accurate count so administrators know how many teachers to hire, an administrator told The Transcript.

Last year, NPS enrolled 15,590 students, according to the district.

Stephanie Williams, executive director of student services, said many parents forget to re-enroll their kids, which causes problems at the end of the summer.

"They'll say, 'Oh, yeah, I need to do that,'" Williams said. "When we send them reminders, we have more people coming in, so we are monitoring that and making sure that our school sites are working to contact those returning families."

Kim Garrett, principal at Norman North High School, said enrolling early helps administrators prepare for the upcoming year and to best serve individual students.

"By participating in early enrollment each summer, parents are able to ensure that their personal information is accurate so that they can receive timely updates, event notifications and emergency alerts," Garrett said. "Accurate personal information supports educators to gain valuable insights into a child's background, interests and unique needs.

"By updating vital details such as medical conditions, allergies or learning requirements, parents enable schools to provide better support for their child's academic success."

Everything people need to enroll or reenroll is online, Williams said. Parents can access the parent portal at www.normanpublicschools.org/enroll, where they can either make a new account or access Infinite Campus to re-enroll their kids.

New students need accompanying documents, including a birth certificate, immunization record, an individualized education plan if applicable, and a transcript, if applicable.

Returning students only need proof of their address.

Williams said guardians who want in-person assistance can visit the district's enrollment center at Norman High School's College and Career Center, 911 W. Main St. The center is open June 12-29 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Guardians can access the enrollment center, even if their kids are going to attend Norman North or a different school within Norman Public Schools, she said.

"Norman (High) is pretty centrally located," Williams said. "That's one of the reasons we chose that location."

Williams said guardians have different barriers that prevent them from enrolling their kids, including language and technology.

"We'll have in-person assistance for our families, including those who speak a different language," she said. "We'll have computers available to assist with technology. For those without computers at home, that can be a barrier for them."

Last year, about 1,000 students enrolled at the enrollment center at Norman High.

Williams said the enrollment process takes from 20 to 25 minutes for new students and about 10 minutes for returning students.

"We've worked to streamline it and make it as easy as possible for families," she said.

Those re-enrolling their children will need to remember their login information for Infinite Campus. Those who have forgotten that information can call the Enrollment Center at 405-366-0551 or email Student Services at student.services@normanps.org.

At the end of the enrollment process, parents are encouraged to take a survey about their experience with the software.

"We've gotten an embedded survey, and I'm happy to report that we have a majority of the families who have taken that survey and enrolled either strongly agree or agree that our process is user efficient," Williams said.

The open transfer portal opened June 1, so students from outside the district are already submitting enrollment requests. Williams said everyone who lives in the district will be prioritized, so open transfer requests will not affect their ability to enroll.