Chapter 115C

(a) Identification of Low-Performing Charter Schools. - The State Board of Education shall identify low-performing charter schools on an annual basis. Low-performing charter schools are those that earn an overall school performance grade of D or F and a school growth score of "me…

(a) The Review Board may terminate, not renew, or seek applicants to assume the charter through a competitive bid process established by the State Board upon any of the following grounds: (1) Failure to meet the requirements for student performance contained in the charter; (2) F…

Local boards of education are authorized to sponsor or conduct educational research and special projects pursuant to the provisions of G.S. 115C-47(8). (1981, c. 423, s. 1.) Part 2. Adult Education.

(a) When in the judgment of the State Board of Education a program of adult education should be established as a part of the public school system and when appropriations have been made therefor, there shall be organized and administered under the general supervision of the Superi…

Supplementary funds authorized in special tax elections for school purposes may be used to establish and maintain summer schools, as provided in G.S. 115C-501(a). (1981, c. 423, s. 1.)

Each local school administrative unit may establish and maintain summer schools. Such summer schools as may be established shall be administered by local boards of education and shall be conducted in accordance with standards developed by the State Board of Education. The standar…

(a) A local school administrative unit may apply to the State Board of Education for approval of remote academies that meet the requirements of this Part. (b) A remote academy is a public school whose instruction is provided primarily online through a combination of synchronous a…

(a) Except as provided in this Part, a remote academy shall meet the same requirements required in this Chapter as other public schools governed by local boards of education. (b) A remote academy shall provide all of the following to enrolled students: (1) Any hardware and softwa…

(a) Each local board of education seeking to offer a remote academy shall submit to the State Board of Education for approval a plan that provides for the following: (1) The range of grades for which the remote academy will offer courses. (2) The method by which the remote academ…

(a) Each approved remote academy shall adhere to the plan submitted to and approved by the State Board of Education unless the local board of education obtains in writing approval for plan modifications from the State Board of Education. (b) Each approved remote academy shall rec…

The State Board of Education shall evaluate the success of remote 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 dropout rates. T…

(a) A student shall not be assigned to attend a remote academy without parental consent. A local school administrative unit shall require an application to secure parental consent prior to enrollment of a student in a remote academy. (b) A local school administrative unit shall i…

The General Assembly believes that all children can learn. It is the intent of the General Assembly that the mission of the public school community is to challenge with high expectations each child to learn, to achieve, and to fulfill his or her potential. With that mission as a …

(a) Local school administrative units are encouraged to implement extended services programs that will expand students' opportunities for educational success through high-quality, integrated access to instructional programming during nonschool hours. Extended services programs ma…

(a) Before implementing an extended services program, the local school administrative unit shall conduct a needs assessment within the unit and in collaboration with local governmental and nongovernmental agencies to identify students, schools, and communities that need extended …

(a) The State Board of Education shall develop model plans which show how to (i) deliver comprehensive extended services; (ii) effectively use all fiscal resources, including federal funds, and other resources under its control that support the goals of this Part; and (iii) maint…

(a) The purpose of this Part is to authorize local boards of education to jointly establish with one or more boards of trustees cooperative innovative programs in high schools and colleges or universities that will expand students' opportunities for educational success through hi…

The following definitions apply in this Part: (1) Constituent institution. - A constituent institution as defined in G.S. 116-2(4). (1a) Cooperative innovative high school. - A high school approved by the State Board of Education and the applicable governing Board that meets the …

(a) A local board of education and at least one local board of trustees shall jointly apply to establish a cooperative innovative high school program under this Part. (b) The application shall contain at least the following information: (1) A description of a program that impleme…

(a) Joint Advisory Committee. - The State Board of Education and the applicable governing Board of the local board of trustees shall appoint a joint advisory committee to review the applications and to recommend approval for those applications that meet the requirements of this P…

(a) Any or all of the following education partners may participate in the development of a cooperative innovative high school under this Part that is targeted to high school students who would benefit from accelerated academic instruction: (1), (2) Repealed by Session Laws 2005-2…

(a) A cooperative innovative high school approved by the State is accountable to the local board of education. (b) A cooperative innovative high school approved under this Part shall operate under the terms of a written agreement signed by the local board of education, local boar…

(a) The Department of Public Instruction shall assign a school code for each cooperative innovative high school that is approved under this Part. Notwithstanding G.S. 115C-105.25, once the cooperative innovative high school has been assigned a school code, the local board of educ…

(a) Allocation of Funding. - The Department shall allocate cooperative innovative high school supplemental allotment funds to local school administrative units with a cooperative innovative high school approved pursuant to G.S. 115C-238.51A(c) based on developmental tier area, as…

The State Board of Education and the governing Boards shall evaluate the success of students in cooperative innovative high schools approved under this Part. Success shall be measured by high school retention rates, high school completion rates, high school dropout rates, certifi…

(a) The purpose of this Part is to authorize local boards of education to jointly establish a regional school to serve enrolled students in two or more local school administrative units that will expand student opportunities for educational success through high quality instructio…

The following definitions apply in this Part: (1) First generation student. - A student who has no parent who has completed a two- or four-year degree. (2) Participating units. - A local school administrative unit whose local board of education has adopted a resolution to create …

(a) Resolution to Create a Regional School. - Any two or more local boards of education may create a regional school as provided in this Part. In order to create a regional school, each local board of education shall adopt a resolution stating its intent to create the regional sc…

(a) Appointment. - A board of directors for a regional school shall consist of the following members. Appointed members of the board of directors shall be selected for their interest in and commitment to the importance of public education to regional economic development and to t…

(a) The board of directors shall meet at least four times a year and may hold special meetings at any time at the call of the chair or upon petition addressed to the chair by a majority of the members of the board of directors. All meetings of the board of directors shall be subj…

(a) The board of directors of the regional school shall be known and distinguished by the name of "The ____________ Regional School Board of Directors" and shall continue as a body politic and corporate and by that name shall have perpetual succession and a common seal. It shall …

The board of directors shall have the following powers and duties: (1) Academic program. - a. The board of directors shall establish the standard course of study for the regional school. This course of study shall set forth the subjects to be taught in each grade and the texts an…

(a) Residency Requirement. - A student shall be domiciled in a participating unit to be eligible to attend the regional school. A student's eligibility to remain enrolled in the regional school shall terminate at the end of any school year during which a student ceases to satisfy…

The board of directors shall appoint all certified and noncertified staff. (1) Principal. - The board of directors shall employ and contract with a principal for a term not to exceed three years. The principal shall meet the requirements for licensure set out in G.S. 115C-270.20(…

(a) Purpose. - There shall be a Parent Advisory Council to serve as a resource and provide input to the board of directors as to the operation of a regional school. The board of directors shall consult the Parent Advisory Council when considering changes to the regional school's …

(a) The State Board of Education shall allocate to a regional school: (1) An amount equal to the average per pupil allocation for average daily membership from the participating unit allotments for each child attending the regional school, except for the allocation for children w…

(a) The local school administrative unit identified as the finance agent by resolution pursuant to G.S. 115C-238.62 shall be the finance agent for the Board and shall have all the rights, duties, and obligations for receipt, accounting, and dispersing funds for the board of direc…

(a) Transportation. - Participating units shall develop a plan to provide transportation to the students domiciled in the district. (b) Food Service. - The local school administrative unit identified by resolution shall provide, to the extent practicable, school food services to …

(a) As used in this section: (1) "Criminal history" means a county, state, or federal criminal history of conviction of a crime, whether a misdemeanor or a felony, that indicates an individual (i) poses a threat to the physical safety of students or personnel or (ii) has demonstr…

The following definitions apply in this Part: (1) ADM. - Average daily membership. (2) NCVPS. - The North Carolina Virtual Public School program, as established by this Part. (3) Nonpublic school student. - A student enrolled in a school that meets the requirements of Part 1, 2, …

(a) NCVPS shall be administered by the Department of Public Instruction in accordance with this Part. NCVPS is not a public school unit, as defined in G.S. 115C-5(11). (b) NCVPS shall be responsible for the following: (1) Ensuring access to e-learning course offerings for student…

(a) The State Board of Education shall implement an allotment formula for NCVPS as follows: (1) Project NCVPS student enrollment by semester and year-long course types for each public school unit. (2) Establish a per-student, per-course teacher payment structure for the instructi…

The State Board of Education shall establish the NCVPS Advisory Council to review NCVPS strategic planning, operational initiatives, and readiness for twenty-first century online learning. The membership of the Advisory Council, as appointed by the State Board of Education, shall…

The Department of Public Instruction shall submit an annual report on the operation of NCVPS to the State Board of Education no later than December 15 of each year. The report shall use data from the previous fiscal year and shall include statistics on actual versus projected cos…

Local school administrative units may partner with eligible providers other than NCVPS for e-learning opportunities. Eligible providers shall meet all of the following: (1) Be accredited by an accrediting agency, such as Cognia or an institutional accrediting agency. (2) Employ t…

Each local board of education is hereby authorized to acquire, own, lease, contract and operate school buses for the transportation of pupils enrolled in the public schools of such local school administrative unit, and of persons employed in the operation of such schools in accor…

(a) The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules and regulations for the operation of a public school transportation system. (b) The State Board of Education shall be under no duty to supply transportation to any pupil or employee enrolled or employed in any school. Neithe…

The superintendent of the schools of each local school administrative unit which shall elect to operate a school bus transportation system, shall, prior to the commencement of each regular school year and subject to the approval of the local board of education, allocate and assig…

Public school buses may be used for the following purposes only, and it shall be the duty of the superintendent of the school of each local school administrative unit to supervise the use of all school buses operated by such local school administrative unit so as to assure and re…

(a) Definition. - An "automated school bus safety camera" is a device that is affixed to a school bus, as that term is used in G.S. 20-217, that is synchronized to automatically record photographs or video of a vehicle at the time the vehicle is detected for a violation of (i) G.…