District Information
LSSU Charter Contract
Grand Traverse Academy is a public school academy, or charter school, authorized by Lake Superior State University. Charter schools must have a valid legal contract with their authorizer, which outlines the terms and conditions of operation, as well as performance expectations and conditions for renewal.
Annual Report Available
Grand Traverse Academy's Annual Education Report is available on the Transparency Reporting icon on the upper right of this page.
Asbestos Annual Notification
The Grand Traverse Academy building is asbestos-free. We have a management plan in place to assure that no new materials containing asbestos are used anywhere in our building. The Asbestos Management Plan is available for review by any interested person. Please contact Michelle Floering, superintendent, at (231) 932-6008 to schedule an appointment.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
All parents and guardians of students under 18 have the right, pursuant to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, to examine the official records, files and data of the school district which pertain to their student. Procedures for examination and hearings to challenge anything in the record may be made available upon request. FERPA allows Grand Traverse Academy to disclose “directory information” to outside organizations and to use it in school publications unless the parent or eligible student notifies the district in writing to the contrary. Directory information is that which is generally not considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if released, such as a student's name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, honors and awards, and dates of attendance.
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Procedure
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests may be addressed to:
Michelle Floering, Superintendent
FOIA Coordinator
Grand Traverse Academy
1245 Hammond Road East
Traverse City, MI 49686
(231) 932-6008
Electronic requests can be made to: floeringm@mygta.us.
Grand Traverse Academy may charge $.10 per page for copied material, plus the rate of pay for the lowest paid GTA employee capable of retrieving and copying the information, and actual mailing costs for each request for existing records.
Adequate space between the hours of 9:00 am and 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday, shall be available when prearranged, for use by those persons requesting review of records.
Responses placed in the mail before or by the end of the fifth business day from the date upon which the request was received will be deemed to constitute a timely response to any question made under this Act. This policy also shall apply to the ten-day extended response period.
Questions about these procedures may be directed to Michelle Floering, FOIA Coordinator, at floeringm@mygta.us.
Integrated Pest Management Notice
Grand Traverse Academy has an approved Pest Management Plan which is available for review by any interested person. Please contact Michelle Floering, superintendent, to schedule an appointment to review the plan.
Notice of Non-Discrimination
Grand Traverse Academy does not discriminate on the basis on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding Title IX:
Michelle Floering, Superintendent
Title IX Coordinator
Grand Traverse Academy
1245 Hammond Road East
Traverse City, MI 49686
(231) 932-6008
Electronic requests can be made to: floeringm@mygta.us
All other inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies set forth in Title VI, Section 504, the Age Discrimination Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Boy Scouts Act may be directed to the following:
Michelle Floering, Superintendent
Grand Traverse Academy
1245 Hammond Road East
Traverse City, MI 49686
(231) 932-6008
Electronic requests can be made to: floeringm@mygta.us.
Positive Culture & Bullying
Grand Traverse Academy has positive relationships built on trust because everyone is important and contributes to learning. Bullying types of behavior negatively impact learning and relationships. We prevent bullying by developing strong positive relationships among students, between students and staff, among staff, and between parents and staff.
Choice Theory helps us understand behavior, learning, and the importance of internal motivation. Through learning Choice Theory, students self-evaluate negative behaviors and we can understand the motivation behind the behavior. Both of these things can help us resolve any problems that may occur.
With the help of the federal government's stopbullying.gov, we educate students on what bullying is and the various types of bullying, as well as what to do when bullying types of behaviors are observed. In addition, we have a program in which older students are the educators, and are available to students if they would like someone to talk to about a concern. Outlined in the Bullying Policy below is our response plan if a student chooses bullying behavior.
Special Education Referral Procedures - Child Find
It is Grand Traverse Academy’s responsibility to inform the general public, as well as parents of students enrolled in the school, of our responsibility to make available special education services for students with disabilities and how to access those services.
We are responsible for identifying, locating and evaluating all children with disabilities within our K-12th grade charter school, once enrolled. This is typically done through our multi-tiered systems of support and in collaboration with general education teachers, interventionists, special education teachers, school administration and parents.
We are responsible for providing a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), which includes special education and related services for students with disabilities without charge to the parents or caregivers. Northwest Education Services (formerly TBAISD) provides many of the services that students may be eligible for within our school. Services such as Speech and Language, Occupational Therapy, School Social Work, Teacher Consultants and services for students with visual impairments, hearing impairments and physical impairments may be provided based on need.
For all students at the school, classroom teachers complete screenings, formal and informal, within 30 days of enrollment. The teacher may look at the child’s ability in the areas of academics, vision, hearing, adaptive, communication, social/emotional, and motor skills. If any concerns are noted, data is collected and may be referred to the Child Study Team for additional help. This is all done with clear parent involvement and communication. Teachers and parents/caregivers may request a special education evaluation at any time.
If you have any concerns about your child, please contact the school office for more detailed information at (231) 995-0665.
School Safety Drills
Public Act 12 of 2014 outlines the emergency preparedness drill requirements for each school building in the state of Michigan.
In accordance with Public Act 12 of 2014, schools must:
Conduct five fire safety drills, spaced throughout the school year, with three taking place prior to December 1
Hold two tornado safety drills, including one in March
Stage three lockdown drills, which prepare for possible school intruders, one of which must be conducted during a lunch-recess period.
Grand Traverse Academy is committed to ensuring the health, safety, and well-being of our staff and students. The following information is provided about our emergency preparedness drills, conducted in coordination with local emergency management officials:
2023-24 Safety Drill Report PDF
2022-23 Safety Drill Report PDF