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1 | AN ACT concerning education.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Sections | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | 27A-3 and 27A-5 as follows:
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6 | (105 ILCS 5/27A-3)
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7 | Sec. 27A-3. Definitions. For purposes of this Article:
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8 | "At-risk pupil" means a pupil who, because of physical, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | emotional,
socioeconomic, or cultural factors, is less likely | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | to succeed in a conventional
educational environment.
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11 | Unless otherwise required by the context in which it is | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | used, "charter school" includes a charter school district | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | established under subsection (b-5) of Section 27A-5 of this | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 | Code.
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15 | "Local school board" means the duly elected or appointed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 | school board or
board of education of a public school district, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | including special charter
districts and school districts | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | located in cities having a population of more
than 500,000, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
19 | organized under the laws of this State.
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20 | "State Board" means the State Board of Education.
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21 | (Source: P.A. 89-450, eff. 4-10-96.)
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22 | (105 ILCS 5/27A-5)
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23 | Sec. 27A-5. Charter school; legal entity; requirements.
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24 | (a) A charter school shall be a public, nonsectarian, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
25 | nonreligious, non-home
based, and non-profit school. A charter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
26 | school shall be organized and operated
as a nonprofit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
27 | corporation or other discrete, legal, nonprofit entity
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28 | authorized under the laws of the State of Illinois.
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29 | (b) A charter school may be established under this Article | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
30 | by creating a new
school or by converting an existing public | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
31 | school or attendance center to
charter
school status.
Beginning |
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1 | on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 93rd | ||||||
2 | General
Assembly, in all new
applications submitted to the | ||||||
3 | State Board or a local school board to establish
a charter
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4 | school in a city having a population exceeding 500,000, | ||||||
5 | operation of the
charter
school shall be limited to one campus. | ||||||
6 | The changes made to this Section by this
amendatory Act
of the | ||||||
7 | 93rd General
Assembly do not apply to charter schools existing | ||||||
8 | or approved on or before the
effective date of this
amendatory | ||||||
9 | Act.
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10 | (b-5) A charter school district may be established under | ||||||
11 | this Article, in compliance with Section 27A-6.5 of this Code, | ||||||
12 | by converting an existing school district to charter school | ||||||
13 | district status. An intergovernmental agreement must be made | ||||||
14 | with a contiguous school district to accept pupils who choose | ||||||
15 | not to attend the charter school district. The charter school | ||||||
16 | district shall be administered by its elected school board and | ||||||
17 | may have more than one campus. A charter school district and | ||||||
18 | its school board have all of the rights and duties and are | ||||||
19 | subject to the same limitations as are provided in this Article | ||||||
20 | for charter schools and their governing bodies.
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21 | (c) A charter school shall be administered and governed by | ||||||
22 | its board of
directors or other governing body
in the manner | ||||||
23 | provided in its charter. The governing body of a charter school
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24 | shall be subject to the Freedom of Information Act and the Open | ||||||
25 | Meetings Act.
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26 | (d) A charter school shall comply with all applicable | ||||||
27 | health and safety
requirements applicable to public schools | ||||||
28 | under the laws of the State of
Illinois.
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29 | (e) Except as otherwise provided in the School Code, a | ||||||
30 | charter school shall
not charge tuition; provided that a | ||||||
31 | charter school may charge reasonable fees
for textbooks, | ||||||
32 | instructional materials, and student activities.
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33 | (f) A charter school shall be responsible for the | ||||||
34 | management and operation
of its fiscal affairs including,
but | ||||||
35 | not limited to, the preparation of its budget. An audit of each | ||||||
36 | charter
school's finances shall be conducted annually by an |
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1 | outside, independent
contractor retained by the charter | ||||||
2 | school.
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3 | (g) A charter school shall comply with all provisions of | ||||||
4 | this Article and
its charter. A charter
school is exempt from | ||||||
5 | all other State laws and regulations in the School Code
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6 | governing public
schools and local school board policies, | ||||||
7 | except the following:
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8 | (1) Sections 10-21.9 and 34-18.5 of the School Code | ||||||
9 | regarding criminal
history records checks and checks of the | ||||||
10 | Statewide Sex Offender Database of applicants for | ||||||
11 | employment;
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12 | (2) Sections 24-24 and 34-84A of the School Code | ||||||
13 | regarding discipline of
students;
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14 | (3) The Local Governmental and Governmental Employees | ||||||
15 | Tort Immunity Act;
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16 | (4) Section 108.75 of the General Not For Profit | ||||||
17 | Corporation Act of 1986
regarding indemnification of | ||||||
18 | officers, directors, employees, and agents;
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19 | (5) The Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act;
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20 | (6) The Illinois School Student Records Act; and
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21 | (7) Section 10-17a of the School Code regarding school | ||||||
22 | report cards.
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23 | (h) A charter school may negotiate and contract with a | ||||||
24 | school district, the
governing body of a State college or | ||||||
25 | university or public community college, or
any other public or | ||||||
26 | for-profit or nonprofit private entity for: (i) the use
of a | ||||||
27 | school building and grounds or any other real property or | ||||||
28 | facilities that
the charter school desires to use or convert | ||||||
29 | for use as a charter school site,
(ii) the operation and | ||||||
30 | maintenance thereof, and
(iii) the provision of any service, | ||||||
31 | activity, or undertaking that the charter
school is required to | ||||||
32 | perform in order to carry out the terms of its charter.
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33 | However, a charter school
that is established on
or
after the | ||||||
34 | effective date of this amendatory Act of the 93rd General
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35 | Assembly and that operates
in a city having a population | ||||||
36 | exceeding
500,000 may not contract with a for-profit entity to
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1 | manage or operate the school during the period that commences | ||||||
2 | on the
effective date of this amendatory Act of the 93rd | ||||||
3 | General Assembly and
concludes at the end of the 2004-2005 | ||||||
4 | school year.
Except as provided in subsection (i) of this | ||||||
5 | Section, a school district may
charge a charter school | ||||||
6 | reasonable rent for the use of the district's
buildings, | ||||||
7 | grounds, and facilities. Any services for which a charter | ||||||
8 | school
contracts
with a school district shall be provided by | ||||||
9 | the district at cost. Any services
for which a charter school | ||||||
10 | contracts with a local school board or with the
governing body | ||||||
11 | of a State college or university or public community college
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12 | shall be provided by the public entity at cost.
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13 | (i) In no event shall a charter school that is established | ||||||
14 | by converting an
existing school or attendance center to | ||||||
15 | charter school status be required to
pay rent for space
that is | ||||||
16 | deemed available, as negotiated and provided in the charter | ||||||
17 | agreement,
in school district
facilities. However, all other | ||||||
18 | costs for the operation and maintenance of
school district | ||||||
19 | facilities that are used by the charter school shall be subject
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20 | to negotiation between
the charter school and the local school | ||||||
21 | board and shall be set forth in the
charter.
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22 | (j) A charter school may limit student enrollment by age or | ||||||
23 | grade level.
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24 | (Source: P.A. 93-3, eff. 4-16-03; 93-909, eff. 8-12-04; 94-219, | ||||||
25 | eff. 7-14-05.)
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26 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
27 | becoming law.
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