Section 17-1715-A - Charter school requirementsCharter schools shall be required to comply with the following provisions:
(1) Except as otherwise provided in this article, a charter school is exempt from statutory requirements established in this act, from regulations of the State board and the standards of the secretary not specifically applicable to charter schools. Charter schools are not exempt from statutes applicable to public schools other than this act.(2) A charter school shall be accountable to the parents, the public and the Commonwealth, with the delineation of that accountability reflected in the charter. Strategies for meaningful parent and community involvement shall be developed and implemented by each school.(3) A charter school shall not unlawfully discriminate in admissions, hiring or operation.(4) A charter school shall be nonsectarian in all operations.(5) A charter school shall not provide any religious instruction, nor shall it display religious objects and symbols on the premises of the charter school.(6) A charter school shall not advocate unlawful behavior.(7) A charter school shall only be subject to the laws and regulations as provided for in section 1732-A or as otherwise provided for in this article.(8) A charter school shall participate in the Pennsylvania State Assessment System as provided for in 22 Pa. Code Ch. 5 (relating to curriculum), or subsequent regulations promulgated to replace 22 Pa. Code Ch. 5, in the manner in which the school district in which the charter school is located is scheduled to participate.(9) A charter school shall provide a minimum of one hundred eighty (180) days of instruction or nine hundred (900) hours per year of instruction at the elementary level, or nine hundred ninety (990) hours per year of instruction at the secondary level. Nothing in this clause shall preclude the use of computer and satellite linkages for delivering instruction to students.(10) Boards of trustees and contractors of charter schools shall be subject to the following statutory requirements governing construction projects and construction-related work:(i) The following provisions of this act:(A) Sections 751 and 751.1. (B) Sections 756 and 757 insofar as they are consistent with the act of December 20, 1967 (P.L. 869, No. 385), known as the "Public Works Contractors' Bond Law of 1967."(ii)Section 1 of the act of May 1, 1913 (P.L. 155, No. 104), entitled "An act regulating the letting of certain contracts for the erection, construction, and alteration of public buildings."(iii) The act of August 15, 1961 (P.L. 987, No. 442), known as the "Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Act."(iv) The "Public Works Contractors' Bond Law of 1967."(v) The act of March 3, 1978 (P.L. 6, No. 3) , known as the "Steel Products Procurement Act."(11) Trustees of a charter school shall be public officials.(12) A person who serves as an administrator for a charter school shall not receive compensation from another charter school or from a company that provides management or other services to another charter school. The term "administrator" shall include the chief executive officer of a charter school and all other employes of a charter school who by virtue of their positions exercise management or operational oversight responsibilities. A person who serves as an administrator for a charter school shall be a public official under 65 Pa.C.S. Ch. 11 (relating to ethics standards and financial disclosure). A violation of this clause shall constitute a violation of 65 Pa.C.S. § 1103(a) (relating to restricted activities), and the violator shall be subject to the penalties imposed under the jurisdiction of the State Ethics Commission.1949, March 10, P.L. 30, No. 14, art. XVII-A, § 1715-A, added 1997, June 19, P.L. 225, No. 22, § 1, imd. effective. Amended 2008, July 9, P.L. 846, No. 61, § 10, retroactive effective 7/1/2008.