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Illinois Compiled Statutes
Information maintained by the Legislative Reference Bureau Updating the database of the Illinois Compiled Statutes (ILCS) is an ongoing process. Recent laws may not yet be included in the ILCS database, but they are found on this site as Public Acts soon after they become law. For information concerning the relationship between statutes and Public Acts, refer to the Guide. Because the statute database is maintained primarily for legislative drafting purposes, statutory changes are sometimes included in the statute database before they take effect. If the source note at the end of a Section of the statutes includes a Public Act that has not yet taken effect, the version of the law that is currently in effect may have already been removed from the database and you should refer to that Public Act to see the changes made to the current law.
SCHOOLS (105 ILCS 5/) School Code. 105 ILCS 5/27-25.2
(105 ILCS 5/27-25.2)
Sec. 27-25.2. (Repealed).
(Source: P.A. 81-1508. Repealed by P.A. 95-793, eff. 1-1-09.)
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105 ILCS 5/27-25.3
(105 ILCS 5/27-25.3)
Sec. 27-25.3. (Repealed).
(Source: P.A. 81-1508. Repealed by P.A. 95-793, eff. 1-1-09.)
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105 ILCS 5/27-25.4
(105 ILCS 5/27-25.4)
Sec. 27-25.4. (Repealed).
(Source: P.A. 81-1508. Repealed by P.A. 95-793, eff. 1-1-09.)
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105 ILCS 5/27-26
(105 ILCS 5/27-26)
Sec. 27-26. (Repealed).
(Source: P.A. 78-1245. Repealed by P.A. 94-600, eff. 8-16-05.)
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105 ILCS 5/27-27
(105 ILCS 5/27-27) (from Ch. 122, par. 27-27)
Sec. 27-27.
When school districts use a system of categorizing classes
of instruction by degree of difficulty and issues grades in accordance
therewith, identification of said system shall be reflected in the affected
students' class ranking and permanent records.
(Source: P.A. 81-707.)
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105 ILCS 5/Art. 27A
(105 ILCS 5/Art. 27A heading)
ARTICLE 27A
CHARTER SCHOOLS
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105 ILCS 5/27A-1
(105 ILCS 5/27A-1)
Sec. 27A-1.
Short title and application.
This Article may be cited as
the Charter Schools Law. This Article applies in all school districts,
including special charter districts and school districts located in cities
having a population of more than 500,000.
(Source: P.A. 89-450, eff. 4-10-96.)
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105 ILCS 5/27A-2
(105 ILCS 5/27A-2)
Sec. 27A-2.
Legislative declaration.
(a) The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
(1) Encouraging educational excellence is in the best | | interests of the people of this State.
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(2) There are educators, community members, and
| | parents in Illinois who can offer flexible and innovative educational techniques and programs, but who lack an avenue through which to provide them within the public school system.
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(3) The enactment of legislation authorizing charter
| | schools to operate in Illinois will promote new options within the public school system and will provide pupils, educators, community members, and parents with the stimulus to strive for educational excellence.
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(b) The General Assembly further finds and declares that this Article is
enacted for the following purposes:
(1) To improve pupil learning by creating schools
| | with high, rigorous standards for pupil performance.
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(2) To increase learning opportunities for all
| | pupils, with special emphasis on expanded learning experiences for at-risk pupils, consistent, however, with an equal commitment to increase learning opportunities for all other groups of pupils in a manner that does not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, creed, color, gender, national origin, religion, ancestry, marital status, or need for special education services.
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(3) To encourage the use of teaching methods that may
| | be different in some respects than others regularly used in the public school system.
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(4) To allow the development of new, different, or
| | alternative forms of measuring pupil learning and achievement.
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(5) To create new professional opportunities for
| | teachers, including the opportunity to be responsible for the learning program at the school site.
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(6) To provide parents and pupils with expanded
| | choices within the public school system.
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(7) To encourage parental and community involvement
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(8) To hold charter schools accountable for meeting
| | rigorous school content standards and to provide those schools with the opportunity to improve accountability.
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(c) In authorizing charter schools, it is the intent of the General Assembly
to create a legitimate avenue for parents,
teachers, and community members to take responsible risks and create new,
innovative, and more flexible ways of educating children
within the public
school system. The General Assembly seeks to create opportunities within the
public school system of Illinois for development of
innovative and accountable
teaching techniques.
The provisions of this
Article should be interpreted liberally to support the findings and goals of
this Section and to advance a renewed commitment by the State of Illinois to
the mission, goals, and diversity of public education.
(Source: P.A. 89-450, eff. 4-10-96; 90-548, eff. 1-1-98.)
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105 ILCS 5/27A-3 (105 ILCS 5/27A-3) Sec. 27A-3. Definitions. For purposes of this Article: "At-risk pupil" means a pupil who, because of physical, emotional, socioeconomic, or cultural factors, is less likely to succeed in a conventional educational environment. "Authorizer" means an entity authorized under this Article to review applications, decide whether to approve or reject applications, enter into charter contracts with applicants, oversee charter schools, and decide whether to renew, not renew, or revoke a charter. "Local school board" means the duly elected or appointed school board or board of education of a public school district, including special charter districts and school districts located in cities having a population of more than 500,000, organized under the laws of this State. "State Board" means the State Board of Education. "Union neutrality clause" means a provision whereby a charter school agrees: (1) to be neutral regarding the unionization of any of its employees, such that the charter school will not at any time express a position on the matter of whether its employees will be unionized and such that the charter school will not threaten, intimidate, discriminate against, retaliate against, or take any adverse action against any employees based on their decision to support or oppose union representation; (2) to provide any bona fide labor organization access at reasonable times to areas in which the charter school's employees work for the purpose of meeting with employees to discuss their right to representation, employment rights under the law, and terms and conditions of employment; and (3) that union recognition shall be through a majority card check verified by a neutral third-party arbitrator mutually selected by the charter school and the bona fide labor organization through alternate striking from a panel of arbitrators provided by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. As used in this definition, "bona fide labor organization" means a labor organization recognized under the National Labor Relations Act or the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act. As used in this definition, "employees" means non-represented, non-management, and non-confidential employees of a charter school. (Source: P.A. 103-175, eff. 6-30-23; 103-416, eff. 8-4-23; 103-605, eff. 7-1-24.) |
105 ILCS 5/27A-4
(105 ILCS 5/27A-4)
Sec. 27A-4. General provisions.
(a) The General Assembly does not intend to alter or amend the provisions
of any court-ordered desegregation plan in effect for any school district. A
charter school shall be subject to all federal and State laws and
constitutional provisions prohibiting discrimination on the basis of
disability, race, creed, color, gender, national origin, religion, ancestry,
marital status, or need for special education services.
(b) The total number of charter schools operating under this Article at any
one time shall not exceed 120. Not more than 70 charter
schools
shall operate at any one time in any city having a population exceeding
500,000, with at least 5 charter schools devoted exclusively to students from low-performing or overcrowded schools operating at any one time in that city; and not more than 45
charter schools shall operate at any one time in the remainder of the State, with not
more than one charter school that
has been initiated by a board of education, or
by an intergovernmental agreement between or among boards of education,
operating at any one
time in the school district where the charter school is located. In addition to these charter schools, up to but no more than 5 charter schools devoted exclusively to re-enrolled high school dropouts and/or students 16 or 15 years old at risk of dropping out may operate at any one time in any city having a population exceeding 500,000. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in subsection (b) of Section 27A-5 of this Code, each such dropout charter may operate up to 15 campuses within the city. Any of these dropout charters may have a maximum of 1,875 enrollment seats, any one of the campuses of the dropout charter may have a maximum of 165 enrollment seats, and each campus of the dropout charter must be operated, through a contract or payroll, by the same legal entity as that for which the charter is approved and certified.
For purposes of implementing this Section, the State Board shall assign a
number to each charter submission it receives under Section 27A-6 for its
review and certification, based on the chronological order in which the
submission is received by it. The State Board shall promptly notify local
school boards when the maximum numbers of certified charter schools authorized
to operate have been reached.
(c) No charter shall be granted under this Article that would convert any
existing private, parochial, or non-public school to a charter school.
(d) Enrollment in a charter school shall be open to any pupil who resides
within the geographic boundaries of the area served by the local school board, provided that the board of education in a city having a population exceeding 500,000 may designate attendance boundaries for no more than one-third of the charter schools permitted in the city if the board of education determines that attendance boundaries are needed to relieve overcrowding or to better serve low-income and at-risk students. Students residing within an attendance boundary may be given priority for enrollment, but must not be required to attend the charter school.
(e) Nothing in this Article shall prevent 2 or more local school boards from
jointly
issuing a charter to a single shared charter school, provided that all of the
provisions of this Article are met as to those local school boards.
(f) No local school board shall require any employee of the school district
to be employed in a charter school.
(g) No local school board shall require any pupil residing within the
geographic boundary of its district to enroll in a charter school.
(h) If there are more eligible applicants for enrollment in a charter school
than there are spaces available, successful applicants shall be selected by
lottery. However, priority shall be given to siblings of pupils enrolled in
the charter school and to pupils who were enrolled in the charter school the
previous school year, unless expelled for cause, and priority may be given to pupils residing within the charter school's attendance boundary, if a boundary has been designated by the board of education in a city having a population exceeding 500,000. Any lottery required under this subsection (h) must be administered and videotaped by the charter school. The authorizer or its designee must be allowed to be present or view the lottery in real time. The charter school must maintain a videotaped record of the lottery, including a time/date stamp. The charter school shall transmit copies of the videotape and all records relating to the lottery to the authorizer on or before September 1 of each year. Subject to the requirements for priority applicant groups set forth in paragraph (1) of this subsection (h), any lottery required under this subsection (h) must be administered in a way that provides each student an equal chance at admission. If an authorizer makes a determination that a charter school's lottery is in violation of this subsection (h), it may administer the lottery directly. After a lottery, each student randomly selected for admission to the charter school must be notified. Charter schools may not create an admissions process subsequent to a lottery that may operate as a barrier to registration or enrollment. Charter schools may undertake additional intake activities, including without limitation student essays, school-parent compacts, or open houses, but in no event may a charter school require participation in these activities as a condition of enrollment. A charter school must submit an updated waitlist to the authorizer on a quarterly basis. A waitlist must be submitted to the authorizer at the same time as quarterly financial statements, if quarterly financial statements are required by the authorizer. Dual enrollment at both a
charter school and a public school or non-public school shall not be allowed.
A pupil who is suspended or expelled from a charter school shall be deemed to
be suspended or expelled from the public schools of the school district in
which the pupil resides. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this subsection (h): (1) any charter school with a mission exclusive to | | educating high school dropouts may grant priority admission to students who are high school dropouts and/or students 16 or 15 years old at risk of dropping out and any charter school with a mission exclusive to educating students from low-performing or overcrowded schools may restrict admission to students who are from low-performing or overcrowded schools; "priority admission" for charter schools exclusively devoted to re-enrolled dropouts or students at risk of dropping out means a minimum of 90% of students enrolled shall be high school dropouts; and
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(2) any charter school located in a school district
| | that contains all or part of a federal military base may set aside up to 33% of its current charter enrollment to students with parents assigned to the federal military base, with the remaining 67% subject to the general enrollment and lottery requirements of subsection (d) of this Section and this subsection (h); if a student with a parent assigned to the federal military base withdraws from the charter school during the course of a school year for reasons other than grade promotion, those students with parents assigned to the federal military base shall have preference in filling the vacancy.
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| (i) (Blank).
(j) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, a
school district in a city having a population exceeding 500,000 shall not
have a duty to collectively bargain with an exclusive representative of its
employees over decisions to grant or deny a charter school proposal
under Section 27A-8 of this Code, decisions to renew or revoke a charter
under Section 27A-9 of this Code, and the impact of these decisions,
provided that nothing in this Section shall have the effect of negating,
abrogating, replacing, reducing, diminishing, or limiting in any way
employee rights, guarantees, or privileges granted in Sections 2, 3, 7, 8,
10, 14, and 15 of the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act.
(k) In this Section:
"Low-performing school" means a public school in a school district organized under Article 34 of this Code that enrolls students in any of grades kindergarten through 8 and that is ranked within the lowest 10% of schools in that district in terms of the percentage of students meeting or exceeding standards on the assessments required under Section 2-3.64a-5 of this Code.
"Overcrowded school" means a public school in a school district organized under Article 34 of this Code that (i) enrolls students in any of grades kindergarten through 8, (ii) has a percentage of low-income students of 70% or more, as identified in the most recently available School Report Card published by the State Board, and (iii) is determined by the Chicago Board of Education to be in the most severely overcrowded 5% of schools in the district. On or before November 1 of each year, the Chicago Board of Education shall file a report with the State Board on which schools in the district meet the definition of "overcrowded school". "Students at risk of dropping out" means students 16 or 15 years old in a public school in a district organized under Article 34 of this Code that enrolls students in any grades 9-12 who have been absent at least 90 school attendance days of the previous 180 school attendance days.
(l) For advertisements created after January 1, 2015, any advertisement, including a radio, television, print, Internet, social media, or billboard advertisement, purchased by a school district or public school, including a charter school, with public funds must include a disclaimer stating that the advertisement was paid for using public funds.
This disclaimer requirement does not extend to materials created by the charter school, including, but not limited to, a school website, informational pamphlets or leaflets, or clothing with affixed school logos.
(Source: P.A. 103-175, eff. 6-30-23.)
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105 ILCS 5/27A-5
(105 ILCS 5/27A-5)
(Text of Section from P.A. 103-154) (Text of Section before amendment by P.A. 102-466 ) Sec. 27A-5. Charter school; legal entity; requirements.
(a) A charter school shall be a public, nonsectarian, nonreligious, non-home
based, and non-profit school. A charter school shall be organized and operated
as a nonprofit corporation or other discrete, legal, nonprofit entity
authorized under the laws of the State of Illinois.
(b) A charter school may be established under this Article by creating a new
school or by converting an existing public school or attendance center to
charter
school status.
Beginning on April 16, 2003 (the effective date of Public Act 93-3), in all new
applications to establish
a charter
school in a city having a population exceeding 500,000, operation of the
charter
school shall be limited to one campus. The changes made to this Section by Public Act 93-3 do not apply to charter schools existing or approved on or before April 16, 2003 (the
effective date of Public Act 93-3). (b-5) In this subsection (b-5), "virtual-schooling" means a cyber school where students engage in online curriculum and instruction via the Internet and electronic communication with their teachers at remote locations and with students participating at different times. From April 1, 2013 through December 31, 2016, there is a moratorium on the establishment of charter schools with virtual-schooling components in school districts other than a school district organized under Article 34 of this Code. This moratorium does not apply to a charter school with virtual-schooling components existing or approved prior to April 1, 2013 or to the renewal of the charter of a charter school with virtual-schooling components already approved prior to April 1, 2013.
(c) A charter school shall be administered and governed by its board of
directors or other governing body
in the manner provided in its charter. The governing body of a charter school
shall be subject to the Freedom of Information Act and the Open Meetings Act. No later than January 1, 2021 (one year after the effective date of Public Act 101-291), a charter school's board of directors or other governing body must include at least one parent or guardian of a pupil currently enrolled in the charter school who may be selected through the charter school or a charter network election, appointment by the charter school's board of directors or other governing body, or by the charter school's Parent Teacher Organization or its equivalent. (c-5) No later than January 1, 2021 (one year after the effective date of Public Act 101-291) or within the first year of his or her first term, every voting member of a charter school's board of directors or other governing body shall complete a minimum of 4 hours of professional development leadership training to ensure that each member has sufficient familiarity with the board's or governing body's role and responsibilities, including financial oversight and accountability of the school, evaluating the principal's and school's performance, adherence to the Freedom of Information Act and the Open Meetings Act, and compliance with education and labor law. In each subsequent year of his or her term, a voting member of a charter school's board of directors or other governing body shall complete a minimum of 2 hours of professional development training in these same areas. The training under this subsection may be provided or certified by a statewide charter school membership association or may be provided or certified by other qualified providers approved by the State Board of Education.
(d) For purposes of this subsection (d), "non-curricular health and safety requirement" means any health and safety requirement created by statute or rule to provide, maintain, preserve, or safeguard safe or healthful conditions for students and school personnel or to eliminate, reduce, or prevent threats to the health and safety of students and school personnel. "Non-curricular health and safety requirement" does not include any course of study or specialized instructional requirement for which the State Board has established goals and learning standards or which is designed primarily to impart knowledge and skills for students to master and apply as an outcome of their education. A charter school shall comply with all non-curricular health and safety
requirements applicable to public schools under the laws of the State of
Illinois. On or before September 1, 2015, the State Board shall promulgate and post on its Internet website a list of non-curricular health and safety requirements that a charter school must meet. The list shall be updated annually no later than September 1. Any charter contract between a charter school and its authorizer must contain a provision that requires the charter school to follow the list of all non-curricular health and safety requirements promulgated by the State Board and any non-curricular health and safety requirements added by the State Board to such list during the term of the charter. Nothing in this subsection (d) precludes an authorizer from including non-curricular health and safety requirements in a charter school contract that are not contained in the list promulgated by the State Board, including non-curricular health and safety requirements of the authorizing local school board.
(e) Except as otherwise provided in the School Code, a charter school shall
not charge tuition; provided that a charter school may charge reasonable fees
for textbooks, instructional materials, and student activities.
(f) A charter school shall be responsible for the management and operation
of its fiscal affairs, including,
but not limited to, the preparation of its budget. An audit of each charter
school's finances shall be conducted annually by an outside, independent
contractor retained by the charter school. The contractor shall not be an employee of the charter school or affiliated with the charter school or its authorizer in any way, other than to audit the charter school's finances. To ensure financial accountability for the use of public funds, on or before December 1 of every year of operation, each charter school shall submit to its authorizer and the State Board a copy of its audit and a copy of the Form 990 the charter school filed that year with the federal Internal Revenue Service. In addition, if deemed necessary for proper financial oversight of the charter school, an authorizer may require quarterly financial statements from each charter school.
(g) A charter school shall comply with all provisions of this Article, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act, all federal and State laws and rules applicable to public schools that pertain to special education and the instruction of English learners, and
its charter. A charter
school is exempt from all other State laws and regulations in this Code
governing public
schools and local school board policies; however, a charter school is not exempt from the following:
(1) Sections 10-21.9 and 34-18.5 of this Code | | regarding criminal history records checks and checks of the Statewide Sex Offender Database and Statewide Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Database of applicants for employment;
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(2) Sections 10-20.14, 10-22.6, 24-24, 34-19, and
| | 34-84a of this Code regarding discipline of students;
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(3) the Local Governmental and Governmental Employees
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(4) Section 108.75 of the General Not For Profit
| | Corporation Act of 1986 regarding indemnification of officers, directors, employees, and agents;
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(5) the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act;
(5.5) subsection (b) of Section 10-23.12 and
| | subsection (b) of Section 34-18.6 of this Code;
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| (6) the Illinois School Student Records Act;
(7) Section 10-17a of this Code regarding school
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(8) the P-20 Longitudinal Education Data System Act;
(9) Section 27-23.7 of this Code regarding bullying
| | (10) Section 2-3.162 of this Code regarding student
| | (11) Sections 22-80 and 27-8.1 of this Code;
(12) Sections 10-20.60 and 34-18.53 of this Code;
(13) Sections 10-20.63 and 34-18.56 of this Code;
(14) Sections 22-90 and 26-18 of this Code;
(15) Section 22-30 of this Code;
(16) Sections 24-12 and 34-85 of this Code;
(17) the Seizure Smart School Act;
(18) Section 2-3.64a-10 of this Code;
(19) Sections 10-20.73 and 34-21.9 of this Code;
(20) Section 10-22.25b of this Code;
(21) Section 27-9.1a of this Code;
(22) Section 27-9.1b of this Code;
(23) Section 34-18.8 of this Code;
(25) Section 2-3.188 of this Code;
(26) Section 22-85.5 of this Code;
(27) subsections (d-10), (d-15), and (d-20) of
| | Section 10-20.56 of this Code;
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| (28) Sections 10-20.83 and 34-18.78 of this Code;
(29) Section 10-20.13 of this Code;
(30) Section 28-19.2 of this Code;
(31) Section 34-21.6 of this Code; and
(32) Section 22-85.10 of this Code.
The change made by Public Act 96-104 to this subsection (g) is declaratory of existing law.
(h) A charter school may negotiate and contract with a school district, the
governing body of a State college or university or public community college, or
any other public or for-profit or nonprofit private entity for: (i) the use
of a school building and grounds or any other real property or facilities that
the charter school desires to use or convert for use as a charter school site,
(ii) the operation and maintenance thereof, and
(iii) the provision of any service, activity, or undertaking that the charter
school is required to perform in order to carry out the terms of its charter.
However, a charter school
that is established on
or
after April 16, 2003 (the effective date of Public Act 93-3) and that operates
in a city having a population exceeding
500,000 may not contract with a for-profit entity to
manage or operate the school during the period that commences on April 16, 2003 (the
effective date of Public Act 93-3) and
concludes at the end of the 2004-2005 school year.
Except as provided in subsection (i) of this Section, a school district may
charge a charter school reasonable rent for the use of the district's
buildings, grounds, and facilities. Any services for which a charter school
contracts
with a school district shall be provided by the district at cost. Any services
for which a charter school contracts with a local school board or with the
governing body of a State college or university or public community college
shall be provided by the public entity at cost.
(i) In no event shall a charter school that is established by converting an
existing school or attendance center to charter school status be required to
pay rent for space
that is deemed available, as negotiated and provided in the charter agreement,
in school district
facilities. However, all other costs for the operation and maintenance of
school district facilities that are used by the charter school shall be subject
to negotiation between
the charter school and the local school board and shall be set forth in the
charter.
(j) A charter school may limit student enrollment by age or grade level.
(k) If the charter school is approved by the State Board or Commission, then the charter school is its own local education agency.
(Source: P.A. 101-50, eff. 7-1-20; 101-81, eff. 7-12-19; 101-291, eff. 1-1-20; 101-531, eff. 8-23-19; 101-543, eff. 8-23-19; 101-654, eff. 3-8-21; 102-51, eff. 7-9-21; 102-157, eff. 7-1-22; 102-360, eff. 1-1-22; 102-445, eff. 8-20-21; 102-522, eff. 8-20-21; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 102-676, eff. 12-3-21; 102-697, eff. 4-5-22; 102-702, eff. 7-1-23; 102-805, eff. 1-1-23; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22; 103-154, eff. 6-30-23.)
(Text of Section after amendment by P.A. 102-466 )
Sec. 27A-5. Charter school; legal entity; requirements.
(a) A charter school shall be a public, nonsectarian, nonreligious, non-home
based, and non-profit school. A charter school shall be organized and operated
as a nonprofit corporation or other discrete, legal, nonprofit entity
authorized under the laws of the State of Illinois.
(b) A charter school may be established under this Article by creating a new
school or by converting an existing public school or attendance center to
charter
school status.
Beginning on April 16, 2003 (the effective date of Public Act 93-3), in all new
applications to establish
a charter
school in a city having a population exceeding 500,000, operation of the
charter
school shall be limited to one campus. The changes made to this Section by Public Act 93-3 do not apply to charter schools existing or approved on or before April 16, 2003 (the
effective date of Public Act 93-3).
(b-5) In this subsection (b-5), "virtual-schooling" means a cyber school where students engage in online curriculum and instruction via the Internet and electronic communication with their teachers at remote locations and with students participating at different times.
From April 1, 2013 through December 31, 2016, there is a moratorium on the establishment of charter schools with virtual-schooling components in school districts other than a school district organized under Article 34 of this Code. This moratorium does not apply to a charter school with virtual-schooling components existing or approved prior to April 1, 2013 or to the renewal of the charter of a charter school with virtual-schooling components already approved prior to April 1, 2013.
(c) A charter school shall be administered and governed by its board of
directors or other governing body
in the manner provided in its charter. The governing body of a charter school
shall be subject to the Freedom of Information Act and the Open Meetings Act. No later than January 1, 2021 (one year after the effective date of Public Act 101-291), a charter school's board of directors or other governing body must include at least one parent or guardian of a pupil currently enrolled in the charter school who may be selected through the charter school or a charter network election, appointment by the charter school's board of directors or other governing body, or by the charter school's Parent Teacher Organization or its equivalent.
(c-5) No later than January 1, 2021 (one year after the effective date of Public Act 101-291) or within the first year of his or her first term, every voting member of a charter school's board of directors or other governing body shall complete a minimum of 4 hours of professional development leadership training to ensure that each member has sufficient familiarity with the board's or governing body's role and responsibilities, including financial oversight and accountability of the school, evaluating the principal's and school's performance, adherence to the Freedom of Information Act and the Open Meetings Act, and compliance with education and labor law. In each subsequent year of his or her term, a voting member of a charter school's board of directors or other governing body shall complete a minimum of 2 hours of professional development training in these same areas. The training under this subsection may be provided or certified by a statewide charter school membership association or may be provided or certified by other qualified providers approved by the State Board of Education.
(d) For purposes of this subsection (d), "non-curricular health and safety requirement" means any health and safety requirement created by statute or rule to provide, maintain, preserve, or safeguard safe or healthful conditions for students and school personnel or to eliminate, reduce, or prevent threats to the health and safety of students and school personnel. "Non-curricular health and safety requirement" does not include any course of study or specialized instructional requirement for which the State Board has established goals and learning standards or which is designed primarily to impart knowledge and skills for students to master and apply as an outcome of their education.
A charter school shall comply with all non-curricular health and safety
requirements applicable to public schools under the laws of the State of
Illinois. On or before September 1, 2015, the State Board shall promulgate and post on its Internet website a list of non-curricular health and safety requirements that a charter school must meet. The list shall be updated annually no later than September 1. Any charter contract between a charter school and its authorizer must contain a provision that requires the charter school to follow the list of all non-curricular health and safety requirements promulgated by the State Board and any non-curricular health and safety requirements added by the State Board to such list during the term of the charter. Nothing in this subsection (d) precludes an authorizer from including non-curricular health and safety requirements in a charter school contract that are not contained in the list promulgated by the State Board, including non-curricular health and safety requirements of the authorizing local school board.
(e) Except as otherwise provided in the School Code, a charter school shall
not charge tuition; provided that a charter school may charge reasonable fees
for textbooks, instructional materials, and student activities.
(f) A charter school shall be responsible for the management and operation
of its fiscal affairs, including,
but not limited to, the preparation of its budget. An audit of each charter
school's finances shall be conducted annually by an outside, independent
contractor retained by the charter school. The contractor shall not be an employee of the charter school or affiliated with the charter school or its authorizer in any way, other than to audit the charter school's finances. To ensure financial accountability for the use of public funds, on or before December 1 of every year of operation, each charter school shall submit to its authorizer and the State Board a copy of its audit and a copy of the Form 990 the charter school filed that year with the federal Internal Revenue Service. In addition, if deemed necessary for proper financial oversight of the charter school, an authorizer may require quarterly financial statements from each charter school.
(g) A charter school shall comply with all provisions of this Article, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act, all federal and State laws and rules applicable to public schools that pertain to special education and the instruction of English learners, and
its charter. A charter
school is exempt from all other State laws and regulations in this Code
governing public
schools and local school board policies; however, a charter school is not exempt from the following:
(1) Sections 10-21.9 and 34-18.5 of this Code
| | regarding criminal history records checks and checks of the Statewide Sex Offender Database and Statewide Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Database of applicants for employment;
|
|
(2) Sections 10-20.14, 10-22.6, 24-24, 34-19, and
| | 34-84a of this Code regarding discipline of students;
|
|
(3) the Local Governmental and Governmental Employees
| |
(4) Section 108.75 of the General Not For Profit
| | Corporation Act of 1986 regarding indemnification of officers, directors, employees, and agents;
|
|
(5) the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act;
(5.5) subsection (b) of Section 10-23.12 and
| | subsection (b) of Section 34-18.6 of this Code;
|
| (6) the Illinois School Student Records Act;
(7) Section 10-17a of this Code regarding school
| |
(8) the P-20 Longitudinal Education Data System Act;
(9) Section 27-23.7 of this Code regarding bullying
| | (10) Section 2-3.162 of this Code regarding student
| | (11) Sections 22-80 and 27-8.1 of this Code;
(12) Sections 10-20.60 and 34-18.53 of this Code;
(13) Sections 10-20.63 and 34-18.56 of this Code;
(14) Sections 22-90 and 26-18 of this Code;
(15) Section 22-30 of this Code;
(16) Sections 24-12 and 34-85 of this Code;
(17) the Seizure Smart School Act;
(18) Section 2-3.64a-10 of this Code;
(19) Sections 10-20.73 and 34-21.9 of this Code;
(20) Section 10-22.25b of this Code;
(21) Section 27-9.1a of this Code;
(22) Section 27-9.1b of this Code;
(23) Section 34-18.8 of this Code;
(24) Article 26A of this Code;
(25) Section 2-3.188 of this Code;
(26) Section 22-85.5 of this Code;
(27) subsections (d-10), (d-15), and (d-20) of
| | Section 10-20.56 of this Code;
|
| (28) Sections 10-20.83 and 34-18.78 of this Code;
(29) Section 10-20.13 of this Code;
(30) Section 28-19.2 of this Code;
(31) Section 34-21.6 of this Code; and
(32) Section 22-85.10 of this Code.
The change made by Public Act 96-104 to this subsection (g) is declaratory of existing law.
(h) A charter school may negotiate and contract with a school district, the
governing body of a State college or university or public community college, or
any other public or for-profit or nonprofit private entity for: (i) the use
of a school building and grounds or any other real property or facilities that
the charter school desires to use or convert for use as a charter school site,
(ii) the operation and maintenance thereof, and
(iii) the provision of any service, activity, or undertaking that the charter
school is required to perform in order to carry out the terms of its charter.
However, a charter school
that is established on
or
after April 16, 2003 (the effective date of Public Act 93-3) and that operates
in a city having a population exceeding
500,000 may not contract with a for-profit entity to
manage or operate the school during the period that commences on April 16, 2003 (the
effective date of Public Act 93-3) and
concludes at the end of the 2004-2005 school year.
Except as provided in subsection (i) of this Section, a school district may
charge a charter school reasonable rent for the use of the district's
buildings, grounds, and facilities. Any services for which a charter school
contracts
with a school district shall be provided by the district at cost. Any services
for which a charter school contracts with a local school board or with the
governing body of a State college or university or public community college
shall be provided by the public entity at cost.
(i) In no event shall a charter school that is established by converting an
existing school or attendance center to charter school status be required to
pay rent for space
that is deemed available, as negotiated and provided in the charter agreement,
in school district
facilities. However, all other costs for the operation and maintenance of
school district facilities that are used by the charter school shall be subject
to negotiation between
the charter school and the local school board and shall be set forth in the
charter.
(j) A charter school may limit student enrollment by age or grade level.
(k) If the charter school is approved by the State Board or Commission, then the charter school is its own local education agency.
(Source: P.A. 102-51, eff. 7-9-21; 102-157, eff. 7-1-22; 102-360, eff. 1-1-22; 102-445, eff. 8-20-21; 102-466, eff. 7-1-25; 102-522, eff. 8-20-21; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 102-676, eff. 12-3-21; 102-697, eff. 4-5-22; 102-702, eff. 7-1-23; 102-805, eff. 1-1-23; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22; 103-154, eff. 6-30-23.)
(Text of Section from P.A. 103-175)
(Text of Section before amendment by P.A. 102-466 )
Sec. 27A-5. Charter school; legal entity; requirements.
(a) A charter school shall be a public, nonsectarian, nonreligious, non-home
based, and non-profit school. A charter school shall be organized and operated
as a nonprofit corporation or other discrete, legal, nonprofit entity
authorized under the laws of the State of Illinois.
(b) A charter school may be established under this Article by creating a new
school or by converting an existing public school or attendance center to
charter
school status. In
all new
applications to establish
a charter
school in a city having a population exceeding 500,000, operation of the
charter
school shall be limited to one campus. This limitation does not apply to charter schools existing or approved on or before April 16, 2003.
(b-5) (Blank).
(c) A charter school shall be administered and governed by its board of
directors or other governing body
in the manner provided in its charter. The governing body of a charter school
shall be subject to the Freedom of Information Act and the Open Meetings Act. A charter school's board of directors or other governing body must include at least one parent or guardian of a pupil currently enrolled in the charter school who may be selected through the charter school or a charter network election, appointment by the charter school's board of directors or other governing body, or by the charter school's Parent Teacher Organization or its equivalent.
(c-5) No later than January 1, 2021 or within the first year of his or her first term, every voting member of a charter school's board of directors or other governing body shall complete a minimum of 4 hours of professional development leadership training to ensure that each member has sufficient familiarity with the board's or governing body's role and responsibilities, including financial oversight and accountability of the school, evaluating the principal's and school's performance, adherence to the Freedom of Information Act and the Open Meetings Act, and compliance with education and labor law. In each subsequent year of his or her term, a voting member of a charter school's board of directors or other governing body shall complete a minimum of 2 hours of professional development training in these same areas. The training under this subsection may be provided or certified by a statewide charter school membership association or may be provided or certified by other qualified providers approved by the State Board.
(d) For purposes of this subsection (d), "non-curricular health and safety requirement" means any health and safety requirement created by statute or rule to provide, maintain, preserve, or safeguard safe or healthful conditions for students and school personnel or to eliminate, reduce, or prevent threats to the health and safety of students and school personnel. "Non-curricular health and safety requirement" does not include any course of study or specialized instructional requirement for which the State Board has established goals and learning standards or which is designed primarily to impart knowledge and skills for students to master and apply as an outcome of their education.
A charter school shall comply with all non-curricular health and safety
requirements applicable to public schools under the laws of the State of
Illinois. The State Board shall promulgate and post on its Internet website a list of non-curricular health and safety requirements that a charter school must meet. The list shall be updated annually no later than September 1. Any charter contract between a charter school and its authorizer must contain a provision that requires the charter school to follow the list of all non-curricular health and safety requirements promulgated by the State Board and any non-curricular health and safety requirements added by the State Board to such list during the term of the charter. Nothing in this subsection (d) precludes an authorizer from including non-curricular health and safety requirements in a charter school contract that are not contained in the list promulgated by the State Board, including non-curricular health and safety requirements of the authorizing local school board.
(e) Except as otherwise provided in the School Code, a charter school shall
not charge tuition; provided that a charter school may charge reasonable fees
for textbooks, instructional materials, and student activities.
(f) A charter school shall be responsible for the management and operation
of its fiscal affairs, including,
but not limited to, the preparation of its budget. An audit of each charter
school's finances shall be conducted annually by an outside, independent
contractor retained by the charter school. The contractor shall not be an employee of the charter school or affiliated with the charter school or its authorizer in any way, other than to audit the charter school's finances. To ensure financial accountability for the use of public funds, on or before December 1 of every year of operation, each charter school shall submit to its authorizer and the State Board a copy of its audit and a copy of the Form 990 the charter school filed that year with the federal Internal Revenue Service. In addition, if deemed necessary for proper financial oversight of the charter school, an authorizer may require quarterly financial statements from each charter school.
(g) A charter school shall comply with all provisions of this Article, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act, all federal and State laws and rules applicable to public schools that pertain to special education and the instruction of English learners, and
its charter. A charter
school is exempt from all other State laws and regulations in this Code
governing public
schools and local school board policies; however, a charter school is not exempt from the following:
(1) Sections 10-21.9 and 34-18.5 of this Code
| | regarding criminal history records checks and checks of the Statewide Sex Offender Database and Statewide Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Database of applicants for employment;
|
|
(2) Sections 10-20.14, 10-22.6, 24-24, 34-19, and
| | 34-84a of this Code regarding discipline of students;
|
|
(3) the Local Governmental and Governmental Employees
| |
(4) Section 108.75 of the General Not For Profit
| | Corporation Act of 1986 regarding indemnification of officers, directors, employees, and agents;
|
|
(5) the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act;
(5.5) subsection (b) of Section 10-23.12 and
| | subsection (b) of Section 34-18.6 of this Code;
|
| (6) the Illinois School Student Records Act;
(7) Section 10-17a of this Code regarding school
| |
(8) the P-20 Longitudinal Education Data System Act;
(9) Section 27-23.7 of this Code regarding bullying
| | (10) Section 2-3.162 of this Code regarding student
| | (11) Sections 22-80 and 27-8.1 of this Code;
(12) Sections 10-20.60 and 34-18.53 of this Code;
(13) Sections 10-20.63 and 34-18.56 of this Code;
(14) Sections 22-90 and 26-18 of this Code;
(15) Section 22-30 of this Code;
(16) Sections 24-12 and 34-85 of this Code;
(17) the Seizure Smart School Act;
(18) Section 2-3.64a-10 of this Code;
(19) Sections 10-20.73 and 34-21.9 of this Code;
(20) Section 10-22.25b of this Code;
(21) Section 27-9.1a of this Code;
(22) Section 27-9.1b of this Code;
(23) Section 34-18.8 of this Code;
(25) Section 2-3.188 of this Code;
(26) Section 22-85.5 of this Code;
(27) subsections (d-10), (d-15), and (d-20) of
| | Section 10-20.56 of this Code;
|
| (28) Sections 10-20.83 and 34-18.78 of this Code;
(29) Section 10-20.13 of this Code;
(30) Section 28-19.2 of this Code;
(31) Section 34-21.6 of this Code; and
(32) Section 22-85.10 of this Code.
The change made by Public Act 96-104 to this subsection (g) is declaratory of existing law.
(h) A charter school may negotiate and contract with a school district, the
governing body of a State college or university or public community college, or
any other public or for-profit or nonprofit private entity for: (i) the use
of a school building and grounds or any other real property or facilities that
the charter school desires to use or convert for use as a charter school site,
(ii) the operation and maintenance thereof, and
(iii) the provision of any service, activity, or undertaking that the charter
school is required to perform in order to carry out the terms of its charter.
Except as provided in subsection (i) of this Section, a school district may
charge a charter school reasonable rent for the use of the district's
buildings, grounds, and facilities. Any services for which a charter school
contracts
with a school district shall be provided by the district at cost. Any services
for which a charter school contracts with a local school board or with the
governing body of a State college or university or public community college
shall be provided by the public entity at cost.
(i) In no event shall a charter school that is established by converting an
existing school or attendance center to charter school status be required to
pay rent for space
that is deemed available, as negotiated and provided in the charter agreement,
in school district
facilities. However, all other costs for the operation and maintenance of
school district facilities that are used by the charter school shall be subject
to negotiation between
the charter school and the local school board and shall be set forth in the
charter.
(j) A charter school may limit student enrollment by age or grade level.
(k) If the charter school is authorized by the State Board, then the charter school is its own local education agency.
(Source: P.A. 101-50, eff. 7-1-20; 101-81, eff. 7-12-19; 101-291, eff. 1-1-20; 101-531, eff. 8-23-19; 101-543, eff. 8-23-19; 101-654, eff. 3-8-21; 102-51, eff. 7-9-21; 102-157, eff. 7-1-22; 102-360, eff. 1-1-22; 102-445, eff. 8-20-21; 102-522, eff. 8-20-21; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 102-676, eff. 12-3-21; 102-697, eff. 4-5-22; 102-702, eff. 7-1-23; 102-805, eff. 1-1-23; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22; 103-175, eff. 6-30-23.)
(Text of Section after amendment by P.A. 102-466 )
Sec. 27A-5. Charter school; legal entity; requirements.
(a) A charter school shall be a public, nonsectarian, nonreligious, non-home
based, and non-profit school. A charter school shall be organized and operated
as a nonprofit corporation or other discrete, legal, nonprofit entity
authorized under the laws of the State of Illinois.
(b) A charter school may be established under this Article by creating a new
school or by converting an existing public school or attendance center to
charter
school status. In
all new
applications to establish
a charter
school in a city having a population exceeding 500,000, operation of the
charter
school shall be limited to one campus. This limitation does not apply to charter schools existing or approved on or before April 16, 2003.
(b-5) (Blank).
(c) A charter school shall be administered and governed by its board of
directors or other governing body
in the manner provided in its charter. The governing body of a charter school
shall be subject to the Freedom of Information Act and the Open Meetings Act. A charter school's board of directors or other governing body must include at least one parent or guardian of a pupil currently enrolled in the charter school who may be selected through the charter school or a charter network election, appointment by the charter school's board of directors or other governing body, or by the charter school's Parent Teacher Organization or its equivalent.
(c-5) No later than January 1, 2021 or within the first year of his or her first term, every voting member of a charter school's board of directors or other governing body shall complete a minimum of 4 hours of professional development leadership training to ensure that each member has sufficient familiarity with the board's or governing body's role and responsibilities, including financial oversight and accountability of the school, evaluating the principal's and school's performance, adherence to the Freedom of Information Act and the Open Meetings Act, and compliance with education and labor law. In each subsequent year of his or her term, a voting member of a charter school's board of directors or other governing body shall complete a minimum of 2 hours of professional development training in these same areas. The training under this subsection may be provided or certified by a statewide charter school membership association or may be provided or certified by other qualified providers approved by the State Board.
(d) For purposes of this subsection (d), "non-curricular health and safety requirement" means any health and safety requirement created by statute or rule to provide, maintain, preserve, or safeguard safe or healthful conditions for students and school personnel or to eliminate, reduce, or prevent threats to the health and safety of students and school personnel. "Non-curricular health and safety requirement" does not include any course of study or specialized instructional requirement for which the State Board has established goals and learning standards or which is designed primarily to impart knowledge and skills for students to master and apply as an outcome of their education.
A charter school shall comply with all non-curricular health and safety
requirements applicable to public schools under the laws of the State of
Illinois. The State Board shall promulgate and post on its Internet website a list of non-curricular health and safety requirements that a charter school must meet. The list shall be updated annually no later than September 1. Any charter contract between a charter school and its authorizer must contain a provision that requires the charter school to follow the list of all non-curricular health and safety requirements promulgated by the State Board and any non-curricular health and safety requirements added by the State Board to such list during the term of the charter. Nothing in this subsection (d) precludes an authorizer from including non-curricular health and safety requirements in a charter school contract that are not contained in the list promulgated by the State Board, including non-curricular health and safety requirements of the authorizing local school board.
(e) Except as otherwise provided in the School Code, a charter school shall
not charge tuition; provided that a charter school may charge reasonable fees
for textbooks, instructional materials, and student activities.
(f) A charter school shall be responsible for the management and operation
of its fiscal affairs, including,
but not limited to, the preparation of its budget. An audit of each charter
school's finances shall be conducted annually by an outside, independent
contractor retained by the charter school. The contractor shall not be an employee of the charter school or affiliated with the charter school or its authorizer in any way, other than to audit the charter school's finances. To ensure financial accountability for the use of public funds, on or before December 1 of every year of operation, each charter school shall submit to its authorizer and the State Board a copy of its audit and a copy of the Form 990 the charter school filed that year with the federal Internal Revenue Service. In addition, if deemed necessary for proper financial oversight of the charter school, an authorizer may require quarterly financial statements from each charter school.
(g) A charter school shall comply with all provisions of this Article, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act, all federal and State laws and rules applicable to public schools that pertain to special education and the instruction of English learners, and
its charter. A charter
school is exempt from all other State laws and regulations in this Code
governing public
schools and local school board policies; however, a charter school is not exempt from the following:
(1) Sections 10-21.9 and 34-18.5 of this Code
| | regarding criminal history records checks and checks of the Statewide Sex Offender Database and Statewide Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Database of applicants for employment;
|
|
(2) Sections 10-20.14, 10-22.6, 24-24, 34-19, and
| | 34-84a of this Code regarding discipline of students;
|
|
(3) the Local Governmental and Governmental Employees
| |
(4) Section 108.75 of the General Not For Profit
| | Corporation Act of 1986 regarding indemnification of officers, directors, employees, and agents;
|
|
(5) the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act;
(5.5) subsection (b) of Section 10-23.12 and
| | subsection (b) of Section 34-18.6 of this Code;
|
| (6) the Illinois School Student Records Act;
(7) Section 10-17a of this Code regarding school
| |
(8) the P-20 Longitudinal Education Data System Act;
(9) Section 27-23.7 of this Code regarding bullying
| | (10) Section 2-3.162 of this Code regarding student
| | (11) Sections 22-80 and 27-8.1 of this Code;
(12) Sections 10-20.60 and 34-18.53 of this Code;
(13) Sections 10-20.63 and 34-18.56 of this Code;
(14) Sections 22-90 and 26-18 of this Code;
(15) Section 22-30 of this Code;
(16) Sections 24-12 and 34-85 of this Code;
(17) the Seizure Smart School Act;
(18) Section 2-3.64a-10 of this Code;
(19) Sections 10-20.73 and 34-21.9 of this Code;
(20) Section 10-22.25b of this Code;
(21) Section 27-9.1a of this Code;
(22) Section 27-9.1b of this Code;
(23) Section 34-18.8 of this Code;
(24) Article 26A of this Code;
(25) Section 2-3.188 of this Code;
(26) Section 22-85.5 of this Code;
(27) subsections (d-10), (d-15), and (d-20) of
| | Section 10-20.56 of this Code;
|
| (28) Sections 10-20.83 and 34-18.78 of this Code;
(29) Section 10-20.13 of this Code;
(30) Section 28-19.2 of this Code;
(31) Section 34-21.6 of this Code; and
(32) Section 22-85.10 of this Code.
The change made by Public Act 96-104 to this subsection (g) is declaratory of existing law.
(h) A charter school may negotiate and contract with a school district, the
governing body of a State college or university or public community college, or
any other public or for-profit or nonprofit private entity for: (i) the use
of a school building and grounds or any other real property or facilities that
the charter school desires to use or convert for use as a charter school site,
(ii) the operation and maintenance thereof, and
(iii) the provision of any service, activity, or undertaking that the charter
school is required to perform in order to carry out the terms of its charter.
Except as provided in subsection (i) of this Section, a school district may
charge a charter school reasonable rent for the use of the district's
buildings, grounds, and facilities. Any services for which a charter school
contracts
with a school district shall be provided by the district at cost. Any services
for which a charter school contracts with a local school board or with the
governing body of a State college or university or public community college
shall be provided by the public entity at cost.
(i) In no event shall a charter school that is established by converting an
existing school or attendance center to charter school status be required to
pay rent for space
that is deemed available, as negotiated and provided in the charter agreement,
in school district
facilities. However, all other costs for the operation and maintenance of
school district facilities that are used by the charter school shall be subject
to negotiation between
the charter school and the local school board and shall be set forth in the
charter.
(j) A charter school may limit student enrollment by age or grade level.
(k) If the charter school is authorized by the State Board, then the charter school is its own local education agency.
(Source: P.A. 102-51, eff. 7-9-21; 102-157, eff. 7-1-22; 102-360, eff. 1-1-22; 102-445, eff. 8-20-21; 102-466, eff. 7-1-25; 102-522, eff. 8-20-21; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 102-676, eff. 12-3-21; 102-697, eff. 4-5-22; 102-702, eff. 7-1-23; 102-805, eff. 1-1-23; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22; 103-175, eff. 6-30-23.)
(Text of Section from P.A. 103-472)
(Text of Section before amendment by P.A. 102-466 )
Sec. 27A-5. Charter school; legal entity; requirements.
(a) A charter school shall be a public, nonsectarian, nonreligious, non-home
based, and non-profit school. A charter school shall be organized and operated
as a nonprofit corporation or other discrete, legal, nonprofit entity
authorized under the laws of the State of Illinois.
(b) A charter school may be established under this Article by creating a new
school or by converting an existing public school or attendance center to
charter
school status.
Beginning on April 16, 2003 (the effective date of Public Act 93-3), in all new
applications to establish
a charter
school in a city having a population exceeding 500,000, operation of the
charter
school shall be limited to one campus. The changes made to this Section by Public Act 93-3 do not apply to charter schools existing or approved on or before April 16, 2003 (the
effective date of Public Act 93-3).
(b-5) In this subsection (b-5), "virtual-schooling" means a cyber school where students engage in online curriculum and instruction via the Internet and electronic communication with their teachers at remote locations and with students participating at different times.
From April 1, 2013 through December 31, 2016, there is a moratorium on the establishment of charter schools with virtual-schooling components in school districts other than a school district organized under Article 34 of this Code. This moratorium does not apply to a charter school with virtual-schooling components existing or approved prior to April 1, 2013 or to the renewal of the charter of a charter school with virtual-schooling components already approved prior to April 1, 2013.
(c) A charter school shall be administered and governed by its board of
directors or other governing body
in the manner provided in its charter. The governing body of a charter school
shall be subject to the Freedom of Information Act and the Open Meetings Act. No later than January 1, 2021 (one year after the effective date of Public Act 101-291), a charter school's board of directors or other governing body must include at least one parent or guardian of a pupil currently enrolled in the charter school who may be selected through the charter school or a charter network election, appointment by the charter school's board of directors or other governing body, or by the charter school's Parent Teacher Organization or its equivalent.
(c-5) No later than January 1, 2021 (one year after the effective date of Public Act 101-291) or within the first year of his or her first term, every voting member of a charter school's board of directors or other governing body shall complete a minimum of 4 hours of professional development leadership training to ensure that each member has sufficient familiarity with the board's or governing body's role and responsibilities, including financial oversight and accountability of the school, evaluating the principal's and school's performance, adherence to the Freedom of Information Act and the Open Meetings Act, and compliance with education and labor law. In each subsequent year of his or her term, a voting member of a charter school's board of directors or other governing body shall complete a minimum of 2 hours of professional development training in these same areas. The training under this subsection may be provided or certified by a statewide charter school membership association or may be provided or certified by other qualified providers approved by the State Board of Education.
(d) For purposes of this subsection (d), "non-curricular health and safety requirement" means any health and safety requirement created by statute or rule to provide, maintain, preserve, or safeguard safe or healthful conditions for students and school personnel or to eliminate, reduce, or prevent threats to the health and safety of students and school personnel. "Non-curricular health and safety requirement" does not include any course of study or specialized instructional requirement for which the State Board has established goals and learning standards or which is designed primarily to impart knowledge and skills for students to master and apply as an outcome of their education.
A charter school shall comply with all non-curricular health and safety
requirements applicable to public schools under the laws of the State of
Illinois. On or before September 1, 2015, the State Board shall promulgate and post on its Internet website a list of non-curricular health and safety requirements that a charter school must meet. The list shall be updated annually no later than September 1. Any charter contract between a charter school and its authorizer must contain a provision that requires the charter school to follow the list of all non-curricular health and safety requirements promulgated by the State Board and any non-curricular health and safety requirements added by the State Board to such list during the term of the charter. Nothing in this subsection (d) precludes an authorizer from including non-curricular health and safety requirements in a charter school contract that are not contained in the list promulgated by the State Board, including non-curricular health and safety requirements of the authorizing local school board.
(e) Except as otherwise provided in the School Code, a charter school shall
not charge tuition; provided that a charter school may charge reasonable fees
for textbooks, instructional materials, and student activities.
(f) A charter school shall be responsible for the management and operation
of its fiscal affairs, including,
but not limited to, the preparation of its budget. An audit of each charter
school's finances shall be conducted annually by an outside, independent
contractor retained by the charter school. The contractor shall not be an employee of the charter school or affiliated with the charter school or its authorizer in any way, other than to audit the charter school's finances. To ensure financial accountability for the use of public funds, on or before December 1 of every year of operation, each charter school shall submit to its authorizer and the State Board a copy of its audit and a copy of the Form 990 the charter school filed that year with the federal Internal Revenue Service. In addition, if deemed necessary for proper financial oversight of the charter school, an authorizer may require quarterly financial statements from each charter school.
(g) A charter school shall comply with all provisions of this Article, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act, all federal and State laws and rules applicable to public schools that pertain to special education and the instruction of English learners, and
its charter. A charter
school is exempt from all other State laws and regulations in this Code
governing public
schools and local school board policies; however, a charter school is not exempt from the following:
(1) Sections 10-21.9 and 34-18.5 of this Code
| | regarding criminal history records checks and checks of the Statewide Sex Offender Database and Statewide Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Database of applicants for employment;
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(2) Sections 10-20.14, 10-22.6, 24-24, 34-19, and
| | 34-84a of this Code regarding discipline of students;
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(3) the Local Governmental and Governmental Employees
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(4) Section 108.75 of the General Not For Profit
| | Corporation Act of 1986 regarding indemnification of officers, directors, employees, and agents;
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(5) the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act;
(5.5) subsection (b) of Section 10-23.12 and
| | subsection (b) of Section 34-18.6 of this Code;
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| (6) the Illinois School Student Records Act;
(7) Section 10-17a of this Code regarding school
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(8) the P-20 Longitudinal Education Data System Act;
(9) Section 27-23.7 of this Code regarding bullying
| | (10) Section 2-3.162 of this Code regarding student
| | (11) Sections 22-80 and 27-8.1 of this Code;
(12) Sections 10-20.60 and 34-18.53 of this Code;
(13) Sections 10-20.63 and 34-18.56 of this Code;
(14) Sections 22-90 and 26-18 of this Code;
(15) Section 22-30 of this Code;
(16) Sections 24-12 and 34-85 of this Code;
(17) the Seizure Smart School Act;
(18) Section 2-3.64a-10 of this Code;
(19) Sections 10-20.73 and 34-21.9 of this Code;
(20) Section 10-22.25b of this Code;
(21) Section 27-9.1a of this Code;
(22) Section 27-9.1b of this Code;
(23) Section 34-18.8 of this Code;
(25) Section 2-3.188 of this Code;
(26) Section 22-85.5 of this Code;
(27) subsections (d-10), (d-15), and (d-20) of
| | Section 10-20.56 of this Code;
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| (28) Sections 10-20.83 and 34-18.78 of this Code;
(29) Section 10-20.13 of this Code;
(30) Section 28-19.2 of this Code;
(31) Section 34-21.6 of this Code;
(32) Section 22-85.10 of this Code;
(33) Section 2-3.196 of this Code;
(34) Section 22-95 of this Code;
(35) Section 34-18.62 of this Code; and
(36) the Illinois Human Rights Act.
The change made by Public Act 96-104 to this subsection (g) is declaratory of existing law.
(h) A charter school may negotiate and contract with a school district, the
governing body of a State college or university or public community college, or
any other public or for-profit or nonprofit private entity for: (i) the use
of a school building and grounds or any other real property or facilities that
the charter school desires to use or convert for use as a charter school site,
(ii) the operation and maintenance thereof, and
(iii) the provision of any service, activity, or undertaking that the charter
school is required to perform in order to carry out the terms of its charter.
However, a charter school
that is established on
or
after April 16, 2003 (the effective date of Public Act 93-3) and that operates
in a city having a population exceeding
500,000 may not contract with a for-profit entity to
manage or operate the school during the period that commences on April 16, 2003 (the
effective date of Public Act 93-3) and
concludes at the end of the 2004-2005 school year.
Except as provided in subsection (i) of this Section, a school district may
charge a charter school reasonable rent for the use of the district's
buildings, grounds, and facilities. Any services for which a charter school
contracts
with a school district shall be provided by the district at cost. Any services
for which a charter school contracts with a local school board or with the
governing body of a State college or university or public community college
shall be provided by the public entity at cost.
(i) In no event shall a charter school that is established by converting an
existing school or attendance center to charter school status be required to
pay rent for space
that is deemed available, as negotiated and provided in the charter agreement,
in school district
facilities. However, all other costs for the operation and maintenance of
school district facilities that are used by the charter school shall be subject
to negotiation between
the charter school and the local school board and shall be set forth in the
charter.
(j) A charter school may limit student enrollment by age or grade level.
(k) If the charter school is approved by the State Board or Commission, then the charter school is its own local education agency.
(Source: P.A. 101-50, eff. 7-1-20; 101-81, eff. 7-12-19; 101-291, eff. 1-1-20; 101-531, eff. 8-23-19; 101-543, eff. 8-23-19; 101-654, eff. 3-8-21; 102-51, eff. 7-9-21; 102-157, eff. 7-1-22; 102-360, eff. 1-1-22; 102-445, eff. 8-20-21; 102-522, eff. 8-20-21; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 102-676, eff. 12-3-21; 102-697, eff. 4-5-22; 102-702, eff. 7-1-23; 102-805, eff. 1-1-23; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22; 103-472, eff. 8-1-24.)
(Text of Section after amendment by P.A. 102-466 )
Sec. 27A-5. Charter school; legal entity; requirements.
(a) A charter school shall be a public, nonsectarian, nonreligious, non-home
based, and non-profit school. A charter school shall be organized and operated
as a nonprofit corporation or other discrete, legal, nonprofit entity
authorized under the laws of the State of Illinois.
(b) A charter school may be established under this Article by creating a new
school or by converting an existing public school or attendance center to
charter
school status.
Beginning on April 16, 2003 (the effective date of Public Act 93-3), in all new
applications to establish
a charter
school in a city having a population exceeding 500,000, operation of the
charter
school shall be limited to one campus. The changes made to this Section by Public Act 93-3 do not apply to charter schools existing or approved on or before April 16, 2003 (the
effective date of Public Act 93-3).
(b-5) In this subsection (b-5), "virtual-schooling" means a cyber school where students engage in online curriculum and instruction via the Internet and electronic communication with their teachers at remote locations and with students participating at different times.
From April 1, 2013 through December 31, 2016, there is a moratorium on the establishment of charter schools with virtual-schooling components in school districts other than a school district organized under Article 34 of this Code. This moratorium does not apply to a charter school with virtual-schooling components existing or approved prior to April 1, 2013 or to the renewal of the charter of a charter school with virtual-schooling components already approved prior to April 1, 2013.
(c) A charter school shall be administered and governed by its board of
directors or other governing body
in the manner provided in its charter. The governing body of a charter school
shall be subject to the Freedom of Information Act and the Open Meetings Act. No later than January 1, 2021 (one year after the effective date of Public Act 101-291), a charter school's board of directors or other governing body must include at least one parent or guardian of a pupil currently enrolled in the charter school who may be selected through the charter school or a charter network election, appointment by the charter school's board of directors or other governing body, or by the charter school's Parent Teacher Organization or its equivalent.
(c-5) No later than January 1, 2021 (one year after the effective date of Public Act 101-291) or within the first year of his or her first term, every voting member of a charter school's board of directors or other governing body shall complete a minimum of 4 hours of professional development leadership training to ensure that each member has sufficient familiarity with the board's or governing body's role and responsibilities, including financial oversight and accountability of the school, evaluating the principal's and school's performance, adherence to the Freedom of Information Act and the Open Meetings Act, and compliance with education and labor law. In each subsequent year of his or her term, a voting member of a charter school's board of directors or other governing body shall complete a minimum of 2 hours of professional development training in these same areas. The training under this subsection may be provided or certified by a statewide charter school membership association or may be provided or certified by other qualified providers approved by the State Board of Education.
(d) For purposes of this subsection (d), "non-curricular health and safety requirement" means any health and safety requirement created by statute or rule to provide, maintain, preserve, or safeguard safe or healthful conditions for students and school personnel or to eliminate, reduce, or prevent threats to the health and safety of students and school personnel. "Non-curricular health and safety requirement" does not include any course of study or specialized instructional requirement for which the State Board has established goals and learning standards or which is designed primarily to impart knowledge and skills for students to master and apply as an outcome of their education.
A charter school shall comply with all non-curricular health and safety
requirements applicable to public schools under the laws of the State of
Illinois. On or before September 1, 2015, the State Board shall promulgate and post on its Internet website a list of non-curricular health and safety requirements that a charter school must meet. The list shall be updated annually no later than September 1. Any charter contract between a charter school and its authorizer must contain a provision that requires the charter school to follow the list of all non-curricular health and safety requirements promulgated by the State Board and any non-curricular health and safety requirements added by the State Board to such list during the term of the charter. Nothing in this subsection (d) precludes an authorizer from including non-curricular health and safety requirements in a charter school contract that are not contained in the list promulgated by the State Board, including non-curricular health and safety requirements of the authorizing local school board.
(e) Except as otherwise provided in the School Code, a charter school shall
not charge tuition; provided that a charter school may charge reasonable fees
for textbooks, instructional materials, and student activities.
(f) A charter school shall be responsible for the management and operation
of its fiscal affairs, including,
but not limited to, the preparation of its budget. An audit of each charter
school's finances shall be conducted annually by an outside, independent
contractor retained by the charter school. The contractor shall not be an employee of the charter school or affiliated with the charter school or its authorizer in any way, other than to audit the charter school's finances. To ensure financial accountability for the use of public funds, on or before December 1 of every year of operation, each charter school shall submit to its authorizer and the State Board a copy of its audit and a copy of the Form 990 the charter school filed that year with the federal Internal Revenue Service. In addition, if deemed necessary for proper financial oversight of the charter school, an authorizer may require quarterly financial statements from each charter school.
(g) A charter school shall comply with all provisions of this Article, the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act, all federal and State laws and rules applicable to public schools that pertain to special education and the instruction of English learners, and
its charter. A charter
school is exempt from all other State laws and regulations in this Code
governing public
schools and local school board policies; however, a charter school is not exempt from the following:
(1) Sections 10-21.9 and 34-18.5 of this Code
| | regarding criminal history records checks and checks of the Statewide Sex Offender Database and Statewide Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Database of applicants for employment;
|
|
(2) Sections 10-20.14, 10-22.6, 24-24, 34-19, and
| | 34-84a of this Code regarding discipline of students;
|
|
(3) the Local Governmental and Governmental Employees
| |
(4) Section 108.75 of the General Not For Profit
| | Corporation Act of 1986 regarding indemnification of officers, directors, employees, and agents;
|
|
(5) the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act;
(5.5) subsection (b) of Section 10-23.12 and
| | subsection (b) of Section 34-18.6 of this Code;
|
| (6) the Illinois School Student Records Act;
(7) Section 10-17a of this Code regarding school
| |
(8) the P-20 Longitudinal Education Data System Act;
(9) Section 27-23.7 of this Code regarding bullying
| | (10) Section 2-3.162 of this Code regarding student
| | (11) Sections 22-80 and 27-8.1 of this Code;
(12) Sections 10-20.60 and 34-18.53 of this Code;
(13) Sections 10-20.63 and 34-18.56 of this Code;
(14) Sections 22-90 and 26-18 of this Code;
(15) Section 22-30 of this Code;
(16) Sections 24-12 and 34-85 of this Code;
(17) the Seizure Smart School Act;
(18) Section 2-3.64a-10 of this Code;
(19) Sections 10-20.73 and 34-21.9 of this Code;
(20) Section 10-22.25b of this Code;
(21) Section 27-9.1a of this Code;
(22) Section 27-9.1b of this Code;
(23) Section 34-18.8 of this Code;
(24) Article 26A of this Code;
(25) Section 2-3.188 of this Code;
(26) Section 22-85.5 of this Code;
(27) subsections (d-10), (d-15), and (d-20) of
| | Section 10-20.56 of this Code;
|
| (28) Sections 10-20.83 and 34-18.78 of this Code;
(29) Section 10-20.13 of this Code;
(30) Section 28-19.2 of this Code;
(31) Section 34-21.6 of this Code
(32) Section 22-85.10 of this Code;
(33) Section 2-3.196 of this Code;
(34) Section 22-95 of this Code;
(35) Section 34-18.62 of this Code; and
(36) the Illinois Human Rights Act.
The change made by Public Act 96-104 to this subsection (g) is declaratory of existing law.
(h) A charter school may negotiate and contract with a school district, the
governing body of a State college or university or public community college, or
any other public or for-profit or nonprofit private entity for: (i) the use
of a school building and grounds or any other real property or facilities that
the charter school desires to use or convert for use as a charter school site,
(ii) the operation and maintenance thereof, and
(iii) the provision of any service, activity, or undertaking that the charter
school is required to perform in order to carry out the terms of its charter.
However, a charter school
that is established on
or
after April 16, 2003 (the effective date of Public Act 93-3) and that operates
in a city having a population exceeding
500,000 may not contract with a for-profit entity to
manage or operate the school during the period that commences on April 16, 2003 (the
effective date of Public Act 93-3) and
concludes at the end of the 2004-2005 school year.
Except as provided in subsection (i) of this Section, a school district may
charge a charter school reasonable rent for the use of the district's
buildings, grounds, and facilities. Any services for which a charter school
contracts
with a school district shall be provided by the district at cost. Any services
for which a charter school contracts with a local school board or with the
governing body of a State college or university or public community college
shall be provided by the public entity at cost.
(i) In no event shall a charter school that is established by converting an
existing school or attendance center to charter school status be required to
pay rent for space
that is deemed available, as negotiated and provided in the charter agreement,
in school district
facilities. However, all other costs for the operation and maintenance of
school district facilities that are used by the charter school shall be subject
to negotiation between
the charter school and the local school board and shall be set forth in the
charter.
(j) A charter school may limit student enrollment by age or grade level.
(k) If the charter school is approved by the State Board or Commission, then the charter school is its own local education agency.
(Source: P.A. 102-51, eff. 7-9-21; 102-157, eff. 7-1-22; 102-360, eff. 1-1-22; 102-445, eff. 8-20-21; 102-466, eff. 7-1-25; 102-522, eff. 8-20-21; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 102-676, eff. 12-3-21; 102-697, eff. 4-5-22; 102-702, eff. 7-1-23; 102-805, eff. 1-1-23; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22; 103-472, eff. 8-1-24.)
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