§ 256F.4 — General operating requirements

Iowa § 256F.4

• Jurisdiction: Iowa
• Title VII: EDUCATION, HISTORY, AND CULTURE
• Ch. 256F: CHARTER SCHOOLS AND INNOVATION ZONE SCHOOLS

Text

1. Within fifteen days after approval of a charter school or innovation zone school
application submitted in accordance with section 256F.3, subsection 2, a school board or
innovation zone consortium shall report to the department the name of the charter school
applicant if applicable, the proposed charter school or innovation zone school location, and
the charter school or innovation zone school’s projected enrollment.
2. Although a charter school or innovation zone school may elect to comply with one or
moreprovisionsofstatuteoradministrativerule,acharterschoolorinnovationzoneschoolis
exempt from all statutes and rules applicable to a school, a school board, or a school district,
except that the charter school or innovation zone school shall do all of the following:
a. Meet all applicable federal, state, and local health and safety requirements and laws
prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, national
origin, religion, ancestry, or disability. A charter school or innovation zone school located
within the boundaries of a school district subject to court-ordered desegregation at the time
the charter school or innovation zone school application is approved shall be subject to the
desegregation order unless otherwise specifically provided for in the desegregation order.
b. Operate as a nonsectarian, nonreligious public school.
c. Be free of tuition and application fees to Iowa resident students between the ages of
five and twenty-one years.
d. Be subject to and comply with the requirements of section 29E.1 relating to the sharing
of records or information, and the communication, collaboration, and coordination of efforts
to best serve students, in the same manner as a school district.
e. Besubjecttoandcomplywithchapters216and216Arelatingtocivilandhumanrights.
f. Provide special education services in accordance with chapter 256B.
g. Be subject to the same financial audits, audit procedures, and audit requirements as a
school district. The audit shall be consistent with the requirements of sections 11.6, 11.14,
11.19, 256.9, subsection 20, and section 279.29, except to the extent deviations are necessary
because of the program at the school. The department, the auditor of state, or the legislative
services agency may conduct financial, program, or compliance audits.
h. Be subject to and comply with chapter 284 relating to the student achievement and
teacher quality program. A charter school or innovation zone school that complies with
chapter 284 shall receive state moneys or be eligible to receive state moneys calculated as
provided in section 257.10, subsections 9 and 10, and section 257.37A as if it did not operate
under a charter school or innovation zone school contract.
i. Be subject to and comply with chapters 20 and 279 relating to contracts with and
discharge of teachers and administrators.
§256F.4, CHARTER SCHOOLS AND INNOVATION ZONE SCHOOLS 4
j. Besubjecttoandcomplywiththeprovisionsofchapter285relatingtothetransportation
of students.
k. Meetings and records of the advisory council are subject to the provisions of chapters
21 and 22.
l. Be subject to and comply with section 279.76 relating to physical examinations, health
screenings, and formal examinations or surveys designed to assess a student’s mental,
emotional, or physical health in the same manner as a school district.
m. Be subject to and comply with the requirements of section 279.78 relating to
prohibitions and requirements related to the gender identity of students in the same manner
as a school district.
n. Be subject to and comply with the requirements of section 279.79 relating to student,
employee, and contractor participation in surveys, analyses, activities, or evaluations in the
same manner as a school district.
o. Be subject to and comply with the requirements of section 279.80 relating to sexual
orientation and gender theory instruction in kindergarten through grade six in the same
manner as a school district.
p. Besubjecttoandcomplywiththerequirementsofsection279.81relatingtoprohibiting
students from serving on any committees that determine, or provide recommendations
related to, whether a material in a school library should be removed.
q. Be subject to and comply with the requirements of section 256.11, subsection 5,
paragraph “a”, relating to the use of instruction related to agriculture to fulfill a portion of
the unit requirements related to science in the same manner as a school district.
r. Be subject to and comply with the requirements of section 256.11, subsection 5,
paragraph “e”, relating to the use of instruction related to applied sciences, technology,
engineering, or manufacturing to fulfill a portion of the unit requirements related to
mathematics in the same manner as a school district.
s. Be subject to and comply with the requirements of section 280.36 relating to the
establishment of a multidisciplinary school safety assessment team in the same manner as a
school district.
t. Be subject to and comply with the requirements of section 256.11 relating to the human
growth and development curriculum for grades five through eight and the health curriculum
for grades nine through twelve.
u. Be subject to and comply with the requirements of section 280.9A, subsection 2, related
to the administration of a civics test in the same manner as a school district.
3. A charter school or innovation zone school shall not discriminate in its student
admissions policies or practices on the basis of intellectual or athletic ability, measures of
achievement or aptitude, or status as a person with a disability. However, a charter school or
innovation zone school may limit admission to students who are within a particular range of
ages or grade levels or on any other basis that would be legal if initiated by a school district.
Enrollment priority shall be given to the siblings of students enrolled in a charter school or
innovation zone school.
4. A charter school or innovation zone school shall enroll an eligible resident student
who submits a timely application unless the number of applications exceeds the capacity of
a program, class, grade level, or building. In this case, students must be accepted by lot. A
charter school or innovation zone school may enroll an eligible nonresident student who
submits a timely application in accordance with the student admission policy established
pursuant to section 256F.5, subsection 1. If the charter school or innovation zone school
enrolls an eligible nonresident student, the charter school or innovation zone school shall
notify the school district of residence and the sending district not later than March 1 of the
preceding school year. Transportation for the student shall be in accordance with section
282.18, subsection 10. The sending district shall make payments to the charter school
or innovation zone consortium in the manner required under section 282.18, subsection
7. If the nonresident pupil is also an eligible pupil under section 261E.6, the innovation
zone consortium shall pay the tuition reimbursement amount to an eligible postsecondary
institution as provided in section 261E.7.
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5. A charter school or innovation zone school shall provide instruction for at least the
number of days or hours required by section 279.10, subsection 1.
6. Notwithstanding subsection 2, a charter school or innovation zone school shall meet
the requirements of section 256.7, subsection 21.
7. a. A charter school shall be considered a part of the school district in which it is located
for purposes of state school foundation aid pursuant to chapter 257.
b. Students enrolled in an innovation zone school shall be counted, for state school
foundation aid purposes, in the student’s district of residence.
8. A charter school or innovation zone consortium may enter into contracts in accordance
with chapter 26.