With the school year underway, now is a good time to review your charter school’s website to make sure it is in compliance with Minnesota state law. The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) recently released a checklist of ten things that school administrators need to review.
A charter school board or a cooperative of teachers that provides group health insurance coverage must establish and publish on its Website the policy for the purchase of group health insurance coverage. A charter school board policy must include a sealed proposal process, which requires all proposals to be opened at the same time. Upon the openings of the proposals in accordance with the school or cooperative policy, the proposals become public data under chapter 13. [First need to establish for each charter school if it provides group health insurance].
A charter school shall publish and maintain on the school’s official website: (1) the minutes of meetings of the board of directors, and of members and committees having any board-delegated authority, for at least one calendar year from the date of publication; (2) directory information for members of the board of directors and committees having board-delegated authority; and (3) identifying and contact information for the school’s authorizer. Identifying and contact information for the school’s authorizer must be included in other school materials made available to the public.
Minnesota Statutes, section 124E.11, paragraph (b): The charter school must develop and publish, including on its Website, a lottery policy and process that it must use when accepting pupils by lot.
A charter school may establish and publish on its website a policy for admission of selected pupils at an earlier age, consistent with the enrollment process in 124E.11, paragraphs (b) and (c).
A charter school must publish an annual report approved by the board of directors. The annual report must at least include information on school enrollment, student attrition, governance and management, staffing, finances, academic performance, innovative practices and implementation, and future plans. A charter school may combine this report with the reporting required under section 120B.11. A charter school must post the annual report on the school’s official Website. A charter school must also distribute the annual report by publication, mail, or electronic means to its authorizer, school employees, and parents and legal guardians of students enrolled in the charter school. The reports are public data under chapter 13.
An affiliated nonprofit building corporation under this subdivision must: post on the school Website the name, mailing address, bylaws, minutes of board meetings, and the names of the current board of directors of the affiliated nonprofit building corporation.
Districts, authorizers, or charter schools entering into a collaborative agreement are equally and collectively subject to the same state and federal accountability measures for student achievement, school performance outcomes, and school improvement strategies. The collaborative agreement and all accountability measures must be posted on the district, charter school, and authorizer Websites.
- Website is consistent with how the charter school is described in the charter contract and the school’s approved new school affidavit.
- The charter school’s name, identified on the website and in the charter contract are identical.
The MDE provides this checklist as a resource tool in an effort to promote continuous improvement. Neither the school, nor the authorizer, is required to submit the checklist to MDE.
Not sure where to start? One resource is the provisions outlined in Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 124E which assists authorizers with oversight of its portfolio of charter schools. The BerganKDV charter school team is also available to help answer your questions. Start here.
Source: Minnesota Department of Education
