LD 1391
pg. 5
Page 4 of 15 An Act To Approve Public Charter Schools in Maine Page 6 of 15
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LR 960
Item 1

 
to become chartering authorities until November 1st of
each year; and

 
(2)__Register the charters granted by all chartering
authorities on a chronological basis.__By December
10th of each year, chartering authorities shall
inform the state board of charters they have granted
that calendar year.__Once the cap of 20 charters per
year is reached, the state board may not consider
further registrations.

 
§2414.__Charter school students; eligibility; application

 
1.__Eligibility.__Any student residing in this State is
eligible to apply to a charter school.__The school shall
enroll an applicant who submits an application prior to
deadline, unless the number of applications exceeds the
capacity of a program, grade level or building. In that case,
applicants must be chosen through a lottery that ensures
random selection.

 
2.__Application.__Each charter school shall adopt an
application process in accordance with this subsection.

 
A.__The application process may not include requirements
regarding previous academic achievement, intellectual
aptitude, sexual orientation or curricular or
extracurricular ability.__Existing noncharter public
schools that convert to charter schools may give
preference to previously enrolled students.

 
B.__Applicant selection may give preference to siblings of
students already enrolled in the charter school, to
children of the organizers, staff and teachers of the
newly formed charter school and to children of employees
of the companies that sponsor work site charter schools,
except that the number of students enrolled under
preferences allowed by this paragraph may not exceed 20%
of the total number of students.

 
iii.C.__Applicants may not be denied admission on the
basis of any physical or mental disability, handicap or
condition.

 
D.__A local school board acting as a chartering authority
may require a charter school that it approves to give
admission preference to children of residents in that
school administrative unit.__Postsecondary chartering
authorities may approve a geographic preference if the
preference is proposed in the charter application and the
charter states that no more than 50% of the students may
be enrolled under the geographical preference provision.


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