1. a. The governing body of a high-performing nonpublic school that is located in a failing school district may submit an application to the Commissioner of Education to convert the school to a charter school. The application of a nonpublic school to convert to a charter school shall certify that upon conversion to charter school status the school shall prohibit religious instruction, events, and activities that promote religious views, and the display of religious symbols. The name of the proposed charter school shall not include any religious reference.

b. The Commissioner of Education shall establish a process for the review of charter school conversion applications. The commissioner may grant an application if the school is a high-performing nonpublic school and located in a failing school district.

As used in this subsection:

“Failing school district” means a school district in need of improvement pursuant to the provisions of the “No Child Left Behind Act of 2001,” Pub.L.107-110;

“High-performing nonpublic school” means a nonpublic school that ranked in the 66th percentile or higher on a norm-referenced achievement test in the school year prior to the school year in which a conversion application is submitted pursuant to subsection a. of this section;

“Norm-referenced achievement test” means the California Achievement Test (CAT), Metropolitan Achievement Test (MAT), Stanford Achievement Test (SAT), or the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS) or one of the tests within the CTBS.

c. Students enrolled in the nonpublic school in the school year preceding its conversion to a charter school shall be eligible to continue enrollment at the school after its conversion. Preference for any remaining enrollment spaces for the charter school for its first year, and for all enrollment spaces in each successive year, shall be provided pursuant to the provisions of section 8 of P.L.1995, c.426 (C. 18A:36A-8).

d. Teaching staff and other employees of the nonpublic school may continue employment at the charter school upon its conversion. Any employee who is not certified in accordance with the provisions of subsection c. of section 14 of P.L.1995, c.426 (C. 18A:36A-14) shall take immediate action towards receiving appropriate New Jersey certification and shall be in full compliance with all certification requirements within two years of the school’s conversion. Any employee hired following the conversion of the nonpublic school to charter school status shall meet the requirements of subsection c. of section 14 of P.L.1995, c.426 (C. 18A:36A-14).

e. Except as otherwise provided in this section, the provisions of P.L.1995, c.426 (C. 18A:36A-1 et seq.) shall apply in the case of a nonpublic school applying for conversion or having undergone conversion to charter school status.

L.2011, c.140, s.1.