115C-218. Purpose of charter schools; establishment of North Carolina Charter Schools Advisory Board and North Carolina Office of Charter Schools. (a) Purpose of Charter Schools. – The purpose of this Article is to authorize a system of charter schools to provide opportunities for teachers, parents, pupils, and community members to establish and maintain schools that […]
115C-218.1. Eligible applicants; contents of applications; submission of applications for approval. (a) Any nonprofit corporation seeking to establish a charter school may apply to establish a charter school. If the applicant seeks to convert a public school to a charter school, the application shall include a statement signed by a majority of the teachers and […]
115C-218.10. Charter school exemptions. Except as provided in this Article and pursuant to the provisions of its charter, a charter school is exempt from statutes and rules applicable to a local board of education or local school administrative unit. (1995 (Reg. Sess., 1996), c. 731, s. 2; 1997-430, s. 4; 2013-355, s. 1(e); 2014-101, s. […]
115C-218.100. Dissolution of a charter school. (a) Funds Reserved for Closure Proceedings. – A charter school that has elected to participate in the North Carolina Retirement System pursuant to G.S. 135-5.3 shall, for as long as the charter school continues to participate in the North Carolina Retirement System, maintain for the purposes of ensuring payment […]
115C-218.105. State and local funds for a charter school. (a) The State Board of Education shall allocate to each charter school: (1) An amount equal to the average per pupil allocation for average daily membership from the local school administrative unit allotments in which the charter school is located for each child attending the charter […]
115C-218.110. Notice of the charter school process; review of charter schools. (a) The State Board of Education shall distribute information announcing the availability of the charter school process described in this Article to each local school administrative unit and public postsecondary educational institution and, through press releases, to each major newspaper in the State. (b) […]
115C-218.115. Operation of NC Pre-K programs. (a) A charter school may apply to a local contracting agency to participate in the NC prekindergarten (NC Pre-K) program as a local program site offering families a high-quality prekindergarten experience. A charter school that seeks to operate as a NC Pre-K program site may request administrative and technical […]
115C-218.15. Charter school operation. (a) A charter school that is approved by the State shall be a public school within the local school administrative unit in which it is located. All charter schools shall be accountable to the State Board for ensuring compliance with applicable laws and the provisions of their charters. (b) A charter […]
115C-218.2. Opportunity to correct applications; opportunity to address Advisory Board. (a) The State Board of Education and the Advisory Board shall provide timely notification to an applicant of any format issues or incomplete information in the initial application and provide the applicant at least five business days to correct those issues in the initial application. […]
115C-218.20. Civil liability and insurance requirements. (a) The board of directors of a charter school may sue and be sued. The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to establish reasonable amounts and types of liability insurance that the board of directors shall be required by the charter to obtain. The board of directors shall […]
115C-218.25. Open meetings and public records. The charter school and board of directors of the private nonprofit corporation that operates the charter school are subject to the Public Records Act, Chapter 132 of the General Statutes, and the Open Meetings Law, Article 33C of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes. Notwithstanding the requirements of Chapter […]
115C-218.3. Fast-track replication of high-quality charter schools. Upon recommendations by the Office of Charter Schools and the Charter Schools Advisory Board, the State Board of Education shall adopt a process and rules for fast-track replication of high-quality charter schools currently operating in the State. The State Board of Education shall not require a planning year […]
115C-218.30. Accountability; reporting requirements to State Board of Education. (a) The school is subject to the financial audits, the audit procedures, and the audit requirements adopted by the State Board of Education for charter schools. These audit requirements may include the requirements of the School Budget and Fiscal Control Act. The audit requirements shall not […]
115C-218.35. Charter school facilities. (a) A charter school’s specific location shall not be prescribed or limited by a local board or other authority except a zoning authority. The school may lease space from a local board of education or as is otherwise lawful in the local school administrative unit in which the charter school is […]
115C-218.37. Public approval for private activity bonds. (a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply: (1) Applicable elected representative. – An elected official of a governmental unit having jurisdiction over the area in which a charter school facility is located, as defined in section 147(f)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. […]
115C-218.40. Charter school transportation. The charter school may provide transportation for students enrolled at the school. The charter school shall develop a transportation plan so that transportation is not a barrier to any student who resides in the local school administrative unit in which the school is located. The charter school is not required to […]
115C-218.42. Charter School Transportation Grant Program. (a) Purpose; Definition. – There is established the Charter School Transportation Grant Program (Program). The purpose of the Program shall be to award grant funds to a charter school that meets the requirements of subsection (b) of this section for the reimbursement of up to sixty-five percent (65%) of […]
115C-218.45. Admission requirements. (a) Any child who is qualified under the laws of this State for admission to a public school is qualified for admission to a charter school. (b) No local board of education shall require any student enrolled in the local school administrative unit to attend a charter school. (c) Admission to a […]
115C-218.5. Final approval of applications for charter schools. (a) The State Board may grant final approval of an application if it finds the following: (1) The application meets the requirements set out in this Article and such other requirements as may be adopted by the State Board of Education. (2) The applicant has the ability […]
115C-218.50. Charter school nonsectarian. (a) A charter school shall be nonsectarian in its programs, admission policies, employment practices, and all other operations. A charter school shall not be affiliated with a nonpublic sectarian school or a religious institution. (b) A charter school shall not charge tuition or fees except as follows: (1) A charter school […]
