ATLANTA — Parents awaiting school choice lottery results in DeKalb County will have to wait a few more days until they get some answers.
The vendor the school district uses for the lottery is experiencing "errors" with this year's application process, causing the delays, according to a spokesperson from the DeKalb County School District.
However, the district did not specify which vendor they use for the pick procedure or what the "errors" are.
"We understand you have eagerly anticipated the release of the lottery results. It is disappointing to not be able to provide them on the scheduled date," a statement reads.
The delay in results can impact any child waiting to hear if they'll be admitted to their county school of choice, including students awaiting to hear about a pre-K seat, magnet school placements, and spots in special education programs.
The lottery results were previously scheduled to be released last Friday, but will now be announced on Wednesday, March 30 instead. Parents have been waiting for answers in the selection process for weeks, as the deadline to submit lottery applications was set for Feb. 11 after a seven-day extension.
"The new notification date will provide a longer acceptance window for selected applicants in the initial lottery run," the school district said.
Students who are selected for their preferred school will have until April 15 to accept or decline their seat.
The school district is advising people to "monitor their application dashboard" for up-to-date information on individual application status.
Here's the full statement from DeKalb County Schools:
"Due to circumstances surrounding the vendor errors with this year's lottery application process, School Choice lottery results will not be emailed as scheduled on March 25, 2022. It is important to ensure process accuracy, therefore, lottery results will be shared on March 30, 2022. The new notification date will provide a longer acceptance window for selected applicants in the initial lottery run. Those selected will have until April 15, 2022 to accept or decline the offered seat.
We understand you have eagerly anticipated the release of the lottery results. It is disappointing to not be able to provide them on the scheduled date. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to navigate this lottery cycle with this vendor. Please continue to monitor your application dashboard for the most up-to-date information on individual application status."
