HF 1485

as introduced - 89th Legislature (2015 - 2016) Posted on 03/05/2015 02:09pm

A bill for an act
relating to education; allowing charter schools to give an enrollment preference
to children who are eligible for a free or reduced-price lunch; amending
Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 124D.10, subdivision 9.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 124D.10, subdivision 9, is amended to read:

Subd. 9.

Admission requirements.

(a) A charter school may limit admission to:

(1) pupils within an age group or grade level;

(2) pupils who are eligible to participate in the graduation incentives program under
section 124D.68; or

(3) residents of a specific geographic area in which the school is located when the
majority of students served by the school are members of underserved populations.

(b) A charter school shall enroll an eligible pupil who submits a timely application,
unless the number of applications exceeds the capacity of a program, class, grade level, or
building. In this case, pupils must be accepted by lot. The charter school must develop
and publish, including on its Web site, a lottery policy and process that it must use when
accepting pupils by lot.

(c) A charter school shall give enrollment preference to a sibling of an enrolled pupil
and to a foster child of that pupil's parents and may give preference for enrolling children
of the school's staff new text begin and children who are eligible to receive a free or reduced-price lunch
new text end before accepting other pupils by lot. new text begin A charter school that gives preference to enrolling
the children of school staff or children who are eligible to receive a free or reduced-price
lunch must identify the manner and order of preference for enrolling the children in its
admission and lottery policy and on its Web site and give at least 180 days' notice on its
Web site before discontinuing the enrollment preference. new text end A charter school that is located
in Duluth township in St. Louis County and admits students in kindergarten through grade
6 must give enrollment preference to students residing within a five-mile radius of the
school and to the siblings of enrolled children. A charter school may give enrollment
preference to children currently enrolled in the school's free preschool or prekindergarten
program under subdivision 8, paragraph (f), who are eligible to enroll in kindergarten
in the next school year.

(d) A person shall not be admitted to a charter school (1) as a kindergarten pupil,
unless the pupil is at least five years of age on September 1 of the calendar year in which
the school year for which the pupil seeks admission commences; or (2) as a first grade
student, unless the pupil is at least six years of age on September 1 of the calendar year in
which the school year for which the pupil seeks admission commences or has completed
kindergarten; except that a charter school may establish and publish on its Web site a
policy for admission of selected pupils at an earlier age, consistent with the enrollment
process in paragraphs (b) and (c).

(e) Except as permitted in paragraph (d), a charter school may not limit admission
to pupils on the basis of intellectual ability, measures of achievement or aptitude, or
athletic ability and may not establish any criteria or requirements for admission that are
inconsistent with this subdivision.

(f) The charter school shall not distribute any services or goods of value to students,
parents, or guardians as an inducement, term, or condition of enrolling a student in a
charter school.

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective for the 2015-2016 school year and
later.
new text end