§ 20-A §2415 — Miscellaneous

1.
Transfer of credits.
If a student who was previously enrolled in a public charter school enrolls in another noncharter public school in this State, the school to which the student transfers must accept credits earned by the student in courses or instructional programs at the public charter school in a uniform and consistent manner and according to the same criteria that are used to accept academic credits from other noncharter public schools.
2.
Access to extracurricular and interscholastic activities.
A public charter school is eligible for statewide interscholastic leagues, competitions, awards, scholarships and recognition programs for students, educators, administrators and schools to the same extent as are noncharter public schools. If a public charter school applies for and receives written approval from the superintendent of a school administrative unit or the superintendent's designee, who may withhold such approval, the public charter school is eligible for school administrative unit-sponsored interscholastic leagues, competitions, awards, scholarships and recognition programs for students, educators, administrators and schools to the same extent as are noncharter public schools. If a public charter school student applies for and receives written approval from the superintendent of the school administrative unit of the noncharter public school or the superintendent's designee, who may withhold such approval, the public charter school student is eligible to participate in extracurricular activities not offered by the student's public charter school at the noncharter public school within the attendance boundaries of which the student's custodial parent or legal guardian resides or the noncharter public school from which the student withdrew for the purpose of attending a public charter school. The superintendent of the school administrative unit or the superintendent's designee may withhold approval only if the public charter school the student attends provides the same extracurricular or interscholastic activity or if the noncharter public school does not have the capacity to provide the public charter school student with the opportunity to participate in the extracurricular or interscholastic activity. If approval is withheld, the superintendent of the school administrative unit or the superintendent's designee shall provide a written explanation to the public charter school student or the student's parent or guardian stating the reason or reasons for the decision to withhold approval. If a public charter school student is allowed to participate in the noncharter public school's extracurricular activities, the public charter school student is eligible for extracurricular activities at the noncharter public school subject to eligibility standards applied to full-time students of the noncharter public school. A school administrative unit or noncharter public school may not impose additional requirements on a public charter school student to participate in extracurricular activities that are not imposed on full-time students of the noncharter public school. Public charter school students must pay the same fees as other students to participate in extracurricular or cocurricular activities. For each public charter school student who participates in an extracurricular or cocurricular activity at a noncharter public school, the public charter school must pay a reasonable share of the noncharter public school's costs for the activity, as determined through negotiations between the schools involved.
3.
Retirement.
A public charter school may establish a retirement plan or plans for employees. If a public charter school chooses to set up a plan with the Maine Public Employees Retirement System, the public charter school may establish a participating local district plan with the Maine Public Employees Retirement System under Title 5, chapter 425.

Legislative History

PL 2011, c. 414, §5 (NEW). PL 2013, c. 601, §1 (AMD).