Chapter 115C

(a) The records comprising a volunteer file of a local school administrative unit are not public records as provided in Chapter 132 of the General Statutes. These records shall be open for inspection only to the following individuals: (1) The volunteer, former volunteer, individu…

(a) Administrative Duties. - It shall be the duty of the Superintendent of Public Instruction: (1) To organize and establish a Department of Public Instruction which shall include divisions and departments for supervision and administration of the public school system, to adminis…

There is hereby established an advisory council to the State Board of Education to be known as the "State Advisory Council on Indian Education". (1987 (Reg. Sess., 1988), c. 1084, s. 1.)

(a) The Council shall consist of 15 members, as follows: (1) Two legislative members appointed as follows: a. One member appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. b. One member appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. (2) Two American Indian members f…

The Legislative members, the higher education members, and the member from the North Carolina Commission on Indian Affairs shall serve for an unspecified term at the pleasure of their respective appointing authorities. The public school educators and the Indian parents shall each…

(a) At its initial meeting, the Council shall elect a chairperson from its membership. (b) The Council shall meet in space to be provided by the Department of Public Instruction on such dates as are agreed on by the membership from meeting to meeting: provided, however, that the …

It shall be the duty of the Advisory Council: (1) To review annually relevant data on American Indian students using reports made available to the Council by the Department of Public Instruction. The review shall include, but not be limited to, data on academic performance, growt…

(a) In accordance with criteria and standards approved by the State Board of Education, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction shall organize and administer a standardized program of driver education to be offered at the public high schools of this State for all physicall…

(a) Course of Training and Instruction Required in Public High Schools. - Local boards of education shall offer noncredit driver education courses in high schools using the standardized curriculum provided by the Department of Public Instruction. (b) Inclusion of Expense in Budge…

(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 operate independently of existing schools, as a method to…

(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 instructional sup…

Except as provided in this Article and Article 7B of this Chapter, 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. …

(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 …

(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 ch…

The Department of Public Instruction shall provide a charter school access to any required financial data reporting platforms during the charter school's first year of operation at no cost to the charter school. (2025-80, s. 8.) Part 5. Reporting on Charter Schools.

(a) The Charter Schools Review Board 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 maj…

(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 requ…

(a) As part of an application or modification of a charter, a nonprofit may apply to the Review Board for approval to include a remote charter academy that meets the requirements of this Part as part of the nonprofit's charter. A charter that includes a remote charter academy may…

(a) A student shall not be assigned to attend a remote charter academy without parental consent. A board of directors shall require an application to secure parental consent prior to enrollment of a student in a remote charter academy. (b) A remote charter academy shall identify …

(a) Except as provided in this Part, a remote charter academy shall meet the same requirements as for other charter schools established by this Article. (b) A remote charter academy shall provide all of the following to enrolled students: (1) Any hardware and software needed to p…

(a) A nonprofit seeking to provide a remote charter academy shall submit to the Review Board as part of the application for approval or modification of a charter a plan that provides for the following: (1) Whether the enrollment area of the remote charter academy will be statewid…

(a) Each approved remote charter academy shall adhere to the plan submitted to and approved by the Review Board or the State Board of Education as part of the approved charter unless the board of trustees obtains a charter modification. (b) Each approved remote charter academy sh…

(a) The State Board of Education shall evaluate the success of remote charter academies approved under this Part. Success shall be measured by school performance scores and grades, retention rates, attendance rates, and, for grades nine through 12, high school completion and drop…

(a) A charter school that is approved in accordance with this Article 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 and the Review Board for ensuring compliance with applica…

(a) The Review 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. If the applicant submits the …

(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…

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. Notwithstandi…

Upon recommendations by the Office of Charter Schools and the Charter Schools Review 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…

(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 requiremen…

(a) A charter school shall adopt a policy requiring the evaluation of technology costs considerations adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant to G.S. 115C-102.10. (b) A charter school shall report annually to the State Board of Education on the break/fix rate of school t…

(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 cha…

Prior to any application for any development approval under Chapter 160D of the General Statutes, the board of directors of a charter school shall inquire, in writing, of the public water system, public sewer system, or public water and sewer system, currently serving the site or…

(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 Int…

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…

(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 six…

(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) …

(a) The Review 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 to operat…

(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 …

A charter school shall not discriminate against any student on the basis of ethnicity, national origin, gender, or disability. (1995 (Reg. Sess., 1996), c. 731, s. 2; 1997-430, s. 5; 1997-443, s. 8.19; 1997-456, s. 55.4; 1998-212, s. 9.14A(a); 1999-243, s. 8; 2001-462, s. 1; 2004…

(a) The Review Board shall review the operations of each charter school at least once prior to the expiration of its charter to ensure that the school is meeting the expected academic, financial, and governance standards. (b) The Review Board shall renew a charter upon the reques…

The school is subject to and shall comply with Article 27 of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes, except that a charter school may also exclude a student from the charter school and return that student to another school in the local school administrative unit in accordance with …

A charter school shall ensure that the report card issued for it by the State Board of Education receives wide distribution to the local press or is otherwise provided to the public. A charter school shall ensure that the overall school performance score and grade earned by the c…

(a) A material revision of the provisions of a charter shall be made only upon the approval of the Review Board. (b) If a charter school has been identified as low-performing under G.S. 115C-218.94, then it shall be considered a material revision of the school's charter to increa…

In accordance with rules adopted by the State Board of Education, the designee of the school's board of directors shall do all of the following: (1) Sign driving eligibility certificates that meet the conditions established in G.S. 20-11. (2) Obtain the necessary written, irrevoc…

(a) Health and Safety Standards. - A charter school shall meet the same health and safety requirements required of a local school administrative unit, including the following: (1) The Department of Public Instruction shall ensure that charter schools provide parents and guardians…

It shall not be considered a material revision of a charter and shall not require prior approval of the Review Board for a charter school to do any of the following: (1) Increase its maximum authorized enrollment during the charter school's second year of operation and annually t…

A charter school shall (i) display the United States and North Carolina flags in each classroom when available, (ii) require the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance on a daily basis, and (iii) provide age-appropriate instruction on the meaning and historical origins of the fla…

(a) Instructional Program. - (1) The school shall provide instruction each year for at least 185 days or 1,025 hours over nine calendar months, and may include the use of remote instruction in accordance with G.S. 115C-84.3. (2) The school shall design its programs to at least me…

(a) An applicant or charter school may appeal a final decision of the Review Board related to grants, renewals, revocations, or amendments of a charter by submitting notice to the Chair of the State Board of Education within 10 days of the Review Board's decision. Copies of the n…

(a) Employees. - (1) An employee of a charter school is not an employee of the local school administrative unit in which the charter school is located. The charter school's board of directors shall employ and contract with necessary teachers or contract with an education manageme…