Committee to tighten sibling rules and verification in magnet lottery applications

The Bridgeport Public Schools ad hoc lottery committee said it will tighten how sibling priority is applied in magnet lotteries and add clearer verification steps in the application system.

A staff member told the committee that parents frequently fail to mark siblings in the district application and that clerical follow-up is required. "Inside of the modem system, the sibling has to be checked. If they don't do that, system will not know that you do have a brother," the staff member said, explaining why the district must improve prompts and pre‑checks so families correctly record sibling status. The committee endorsed adding clearer website guidance and a short explainer video for parents ahead of the first lottery.

Committee members also discussed whether to single out schools by name in policy or to use a district-wide label for "magnet schools" so future programs are covered without amending policy. The chair supported a district-wide approach so new magnets would automatically be included in the rules. The committee asked staff to prepare a redlined policy incorporating the sibling clarifications for review at its next meeting.

The committee asked that any system changes include verification steps — such as cross-checking addresses in the student information system — to limit misuse; staff noted the need to balance verification with privacy and avoid exposing personally identifiable information.