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Pennsylvania Statutes Title 24 P.S. Education § 17-1745-A. Establishment of cyber charter school

Current as of January 01, 2025 | Updated by Findlaw Staff

(a) Establishment.--A cyber charter school may be established by an individual; one or more teachers who will teach at the proposed cyber charter school; parents or guardians of students who will enroll in the cyber charter school; a nonsectarian college, university or museum located in this Commonwealth; a nonsectarian corporation not-for-profit as defined in 15 Pa.C.S. § 5103 (relating to definitions); a corporation, association or partnership; or any combination of the foregoing. Section 1327.1  1 shall not apply to a cyber charter school established under this subdivision.

(b) Sectarian entities.--No cyber charter school shall be established or funded by and no charter shall be granted to a sectarian school, institution or other entity.

(c) Attendance.--Attendance at a cyber charter school shall satisfy requirements for compulsory attendance.

(d) Application.--An application to establish a cyber charter school shall be submitted to the department by October 1 of the school year preceding the school year in which the cyber charter school proposes to commence operation.

(e) Grant or denial.--Within 120 days of receipt of an application, the department shall grant or deny the application. The department shall review the application and shall hold at least one public hearing under 65 Pa.C.S. Ch. 7  2 (relating to open meetings). At least 30 days prior to the hearing, the department shall publish in the Pennsylvania Bulletin and on the department' s World Wide Web site notice of the hearing and the purpose of the application.

(f) Evaluation criteria.--

(1) A cyber charter school application submitted under this subdivision shall be evaluated by the department based on the following criteria:

(i) The demonstrated, sustainable support for the cyber charter school plan by teachers, parents or guardians and students.

(ii) The capability of the cyber charter school applicant, in terms of support and planning, to provide comprehensive learning experiences to students under the charter.

(iii) The extent to which the programs outlined in the application will enable students to meet the academic standards under 22 Pa. Code Ch. 4 (relating to academic standards and assessment) or subsequent regulations promulgated to replace 22 Pa. Code Ch. 4.

(iv) The extent to which the application meets the requirements of section 1747-A. 3

(v) The extent to which the cyber charter school may serve as a model for other public schools.

(2) Written notice of the action of the department shall be sent by certified mail to the applicant and published on the department's World Wide Web site. If the application is denied, the reasons for denial, including a description of deficiencies in the application, shall be clearly stated in the notice.

(3) Upon approval of a cyber charter school application, a written charter shall be developed which shall contain the provisions of the charter application and be signed by the secretary and each member of the board of trustees of the cyber charter school. The charter, when duly signed, shall act as legal authorization of the establishment of a cyber charter school. The charter shall be legally binding on the department, the cyber charter school and its board of trustees. The charter shall be for a period of no less than three years nor more than five years and may be renewed for a period of five years by the department.

(4) The decision of the department to deny an application may be appealed to the appeal board.

(g) Denied application.--A cyber charter school applicant may revise and resubmit a denied application to the department. The department shall grant or deny the revised application within 60 days after its receipt.

(h) Appeal.--If the department fails to hold the required public hearing or to approve or disapprove the charter, the applicant may file its application as an appeal to the appeal board. The appeal board shall review the application and make a decision to approve or disapprove the charter based on the criteria in subsection (f).

1 24 P.S. § 13-1327.1.
2 65 Pa.C.S.A. § 701 et seq.
3 24 P.S. § 17-1747-A.
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Cite this article: FindLaw.com - Pennsylvania Statutes Title 24 P.S. Education § 17-1745-A. Establishment of cyber charter school - last updated January 01, 2025 | https://codes.findlaw.com/pa/title-24-ps-education/pa-st-sect-24-17-1745-a/

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