SF 868

as introduced - 84th Legislature (2005 - 2006) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

A bill for an act
relating to education; allowing certain charter
schools to limit admission to chemically dependent
students; amending Minnesota Statutes 2004, sections
124D.10, subdivision 9; 124D.69, subdivision 3.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 124D.10,
subdivision 9, is amended to read:

Subd. 9.

Admission requirements.

A charter school may
limit admission to:

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

(2) people who are eligible to participate in the
graduation incentives program under section 124D.68; deleted text begin or
deleted text end

(3) residents of a specific geographic area where the
percentage of the population of non-Caucasian people of that
area is greater than the percentage of the non-Caucasian
population in the congressional district in which the geographic
area is located, and as long as the school reflects the racial
and ethnic diversity of the specific area new text begin ; or
new text end

new text begin (4) secondary school students who have been assessed
chemically dependent and who have completed a licensed treatment
program for chemical dependency. The limitation provided by
this clause is necessary due to the unique set of challenges
that face chemically dependent students and the inherent
obstacles that these students encounter when attending schools
that are not limited to those students who have completed a
licensed treatment program for chemical dependency new text end .

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. If a charter school
is the only school located in a town serving pupils within a
particular grade level, then pupils that are residents of the
town must be given preference for enrollment before accepting
pupils by lot. If a pupil lives within two miles of a charter
school and the next closest public school is more than five
miles away, the charter school must give those pupils preference
for enrollment before accepting other pupils by lot.

A charter school shall give preference for enrollment to a
sibling of an enrolled pupil and to a foster child of that
pupil's parents before accepting other pupils by lot.

A charter school may not limit admission to pupils on the
basis of intellectual ability, measures of achievement or
aptitude, or athletic ability.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 124D.69,
subdivision 3, is amended to read:

Subd. 3.

Uncommon schools serving students with chemical
dependencies; allocation of funds.

In addition to the amounts
provided in section 124D.68, subdivision 9, a school district
may allocate funds from its undesignated general fund to
a new text begin charter school or new text end private contracted alternative program,
including a new text begin charter school or new text end private contracted alternative
program that is tuition free and provides a comprehensive
secondary academic program for students who have been assessed
chemically dependent and who have completed a licensed treatment
program for chemical dependency.