Alachua County Public Schools is launching a new effort to encourage parents to register their students before school actually begins in the fall. The effort will focus on those parents whose children will be entering an Alachua County public school for the first time in the fall. School starts on Monday, August 15.

Each year hundreds of parents wait until the last minute to register their students, and in some cases they wait until after school has already started. As a result they face crowds and long waits in the front office, and their children miss out on valuable class time.

“It’s important that we begin working with the children from the very first day,” said Hidden Oak Elementary School principal Doris Richardson. “We orient them to the campus and they get to know their teachers and classmates, which gives them a good start on the school year.”

Last year, there were 24,897 students registered for school in Alachua County on August 17^th, the first day of school. On the 10^th day there were 26,622 registered, a difference of more than 1700 students.

“That creates a significant planning problem for the schools,” said deputy superintendent Sandy Hollinger. “Until the students register, the schools can’t be sure how many teachers they’ll need in each grade and each subject. They also don’t have a clear picture of how many students may need special services. It’s much harder to arrange for those services after school has started.”

Late registration can also mean fewer class options for students, particularly those in middle and high school, who may find that the courses they want are already full.

Local businesses and non-profit agencies will be helping with the effort by putting up posters encouraging parents to register their students for school during the summer. Local media, including Cox Communications and The Gainesville Sun, have also agreed to run announcements reminding parents that all schools are open to register students from 9 a.m. to noon Mondays through Thursdays in July and early August. (Most schools have additional summer hours, but the schedules vary from school to school.) The announcements also let parents know what kind of documents they’ll need, including their child’s birth certificate, Social Security card, proof of a recent physical, proof of immunizations and two proofs of residence.

“Often parents come in without all the paperwork that’s legally required to register their students,” said public information officer Jackie Johnson. “We’re trying to raise awareness so that parents don’t have to make extra trips to the school.”

While the campaign is focused primarily on parents whose children will be entering an Alachua County school for the first time this fall, families who have moved to a different school zone also need to register at their new school. However, they will only need to bring two proofs of residence.

Parents needing more information on registration can contact the district’s Zoning Office at 955-7700 or 955-7703.