(a) The chancellor of a constituent institution designated by the Board of Governors to establish a laboratory school shall submit a proposal in accordance with N.C. Gen. Stat. § 116-239.7 that is consistent with any requirements established by the Subcommittee on Laboratory Schools in accordance with this Article.

(b) The chancellor shall be the administrative head of a laboratory school approved by the Subcommittee and shall provide general direction for the establishment and operation of a laboratory school. The chancellor, with advice and input from the advisory board established in subdivision (1) of this subsection, shall adopt policies, operating procedures, and the courses of study to govern the operation of the laboratory school. The chancellor may designate the duties required by this Article to other personnel as necessary. The chancellor shall also have the following powers and duties:

(1) Advisory board. – The chancellor shall establish an advisory board to provide advice and guidance to the chancellor as follows:

a. Composition of the advisory board. – The advisory board shall consist of up to 10 members who shall be appointed by the chancellor or serve ex officio as follows:

1. The dean of the constituent institution’s educator preparation program.

2. A member of the board of trustees of the constituent institution.

3. Two faculty members from the institution. At least one of the faculty members shall be faculty from the constituent institution’s educator preparation program.

4. The superintendent of the local school administrative unit in which the laboratory school is located.

5. A member of the community who resides in the local school administrative unit in which the laboratory school is located.

6. Up to four other members that the chancellor deems necessary.

a1. Terms of members. – The term of each member shall be for four years, and any vacancy shall be filled with a person of the same classification as his or her predecessor for the balance of the unexpired term. No advisory board member shall serve more than two complete consecutive terms. The chancellor shall stagger the terms of the initial appointees in a manner that results in the expiration of terms of no more than three members in any year.

a2. Organization; meetings; expenses. – The chancellor shall call the organizational meeting of the advisory board. The advisory board shall meet at least quarterly. The advisory board shall annually elect a chair and a vice-chair. There shall be no limitation on successive terms that may be served by a chair or vice-chair. The advisory board shall adopt internal organizational procedures or bylaws necessary for efficient operation. Advisory board members shall not receive per diem or travel expenses for the performance of their duties.

b. Duties. – The advisory board shall have the following duties:

1. Monitor the operations of the laboratory school and the distribution of moneys allocated for such operations.

2. Recommend to the chancellor necessary policy, program, and administration modifications.

3. Evaluate biennially the performance of the principal and recommend corresponding action to the chancellor.

4. Annually review evaluations of the laboratory school’s operation and research findings.

Ask a legal question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

(2) Laboratory school course of study. –

a. The chancellor shall establish the standard course of study for the laboratory school. This course of study shall set forth the subjects to be taught in each grade and the texts and other educational materials on each subject to be used in each grade. The chancellor shall design its programs to meet at least the student performance standards adopted by the State Board of Education and the student performance standards contained in Chapter 115C of the N.C. Gen. Stat..

b. The chancellor shall conduct student assessments required by the State Board of Education.

c. The chancellor shall adopt a school calendar consisting of a minimum of 185 days or 1,025 hours of instruction covering at least nine calendar months, and may include the use of remote instruction in accordance with N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-84.3

d. The chancellor shall ensure that financial literacy instruction is provided as required by the State Board of Education pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-81.65, including required professional development for teachers of the EPF course.

(3) Standards of performance and conduct. – The chancellor shall establish policies and standards for academic performance, attendance, and conduct for students of the laboratory school. The policies of the chancellor shall comply with Article 27 of Chapter 115C of the N.C. Gen. Stat..

(4) Operation and maintenance of laboratory schools. – The Board of Governors and the State Board of Education shall jointly determine standards for establishing the costs to local school administrative units for providing the facilities and services identified in this subdivision for operation and maintenance of a laboratory school. The standards shall include the lease amount by square foot for facility leases, which shall incorporate the cost of the outstanding debt service for the facility. A local school administrative unit shall provide, at the laboratory school’s request, any of the following facilities and services to the laboratory school, but the costs of those facilities and services charged to the laboratory school shall not exceed the established standards for determination of costs. The following shall be determined in a memorandum of understanding between the chancellor and the local school administrative unit for the operation and maintenance of the laboratory school as needed:

a. Facilities and leases. – Upon request, the local school administrative unit in which the laboratory school is located shall lease adequate facilities to the constituent institution for use as a laboratory school. Unless the laboratory school requests not to include any of the following, the lease shall include use of or access to any existing buildings, parking areas, playgrounds, driveways required for ingress and egress, furniture, classroom space, a cafeteria or multipurpose room, moveable equipment, appliances, playground materials, including a library collection, instructional materials, and classroom and other technology equipment necessary to operate the laboratory school. The lease term shall be terminated if the laboratory school ceases operation. Upon request, the local school administrative unit shall maintain the facilities and premises of the laboratory school and keep them in good repair and tenantable condition by providing all routine custodial services and routine facilities maintenance services, including routine indoor maintenance, routine mowing, trimming, and maintenance of exterior landscaping and snow removal, and timely repair of the facilities and premises. The chancellor is authorized to execute the lease agreement and memoranda of agreement for the operation of a laboratory school.

b. Transportation services. – Upon request, the local school administrative unit in which the laboratory school is located shall provide transportation to students who reside in the local school administrative unit and attend the laboratory school, including any students who are homeless and require assistance pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 11301, et seq., the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. The requirement to provide transportation to students residing in the local school administrative unit shall (i) apply regardless of where a laboratory school student resides in the unit or how the unit’s transportation policies and practices are applied to other students and (ii) upon request, include providing transportation of students and personnel for laboratory school extracurricular activities and educational trips in the same manner as other schools in the unit for that school year.

c. Food services. – The laboratory school shall strive to ensure that one hundred percent (100%) muscadine grape juice is made available to students as a part of the school’s nutrition program or through the operation of the school’s vending facilities. Upon request, the local school administrative unit in which the laboratory school is located shall administer the National School Lunch Program for the laboratory school in accordance with N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-264

d. Student support services. – Upon request, the local school administrative unit in which the laboratory school is located shall provide any of the following student support services for the operation of the laboratory school, including:

1. Services required by the Department of Public Instruction for children with disabilities.

2. Children and family support services, including social worker and school nurse services.

3. Other health services, including dental screenings, vision screenings, and similar health services that apply to other students enrolled in the local school administrative unit.

4. Parent involvement coordinator services.

5. School counselor services.

(5) School attendance. – Every parent, guardian, or other person in this State having charge or control of a child who is enrolled in the laboratory school and who is less than 16 years of age shall cause such child to attend school continuously for a period equal to the time that the laboratory school shall be in session. No person shall encourage, entice, or counsel any child to be unlawfully absent from the laboratory school. Any person who aids or abets a student’s unlawful absence from the laboratory school shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. The principal shall be responsible for implementing such additional policies concerning compulsory attendance as shall be adopted by the chancellor, including regulations concerning lawful and unlawful absences, permissible excuses for temporary absences, maintenance of attendance records, and attendance counseling.

(6) Reporting. – The chancellor shall comply with the reporting requirements established by the State Board of Education in the Uniform Education Reporting System.

(7) Assessment results. – The chancellor shall provide data to the local school administrative unit on the performance of students on any testing required by the State Board of Education.

(8) Education of children with disabilities. – The chancellor shall require compliance with laws and policies relating to the education of children with disabilities.

(9) Health and safety. – The chancellor shall require that the laboratory school meet the same health and safety standards required of a local school administrative unit. The Department of Public Instruction shall ensure that laboratory schools comply with N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-375.2A. The chancellor shall provide the laboratory school with a supply of emergency epinephrine auto-injectors necessary to carry out the provisions of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-375.2A.

(10) Repealed by Session Laws 2023-78, s. 5(f), effective July 7, 2023.

(11) Repealed by Session Laws 2023-78, s. 5(f), effective July 7, 2023.

(12) Repealed by Session Laws 2023-78, s. 5(f), effective July 7, 2023.

(13) Repealed by Session Laws 2023-78, s. 5(f), effective July 7, 2023.

(14) North Carolina school report cards. – A laboratory school shall ensure that the report card issued for it by the State Board of Education receives wide distribution to the local press or is otherwise provided to the public. A laboratory school shall ensure that the overall school performance score and grade earned by the laboratory school for the current and previous four school years is prominently displayed on the school Web site. If a laboratory school earned an overall school performance grade of D or F, the laboratory school shall provide notice of the grade in writing to the parent or guardian of all students enrolled in that school.

(15) Policy against bullying. – A laboratory school is encouraged to adopt a policy against bullying or harassing behavior, including cyberbullying, that is consistent with the provisions of Article 29C of Chapter 115C of the N.C. Gen. Stat.. If a laboratory school adopts a policy to prohibit bullying and harassing behavior, the laboratory school shall, at the beginning of each school year, provide the policy to staff, students, and parents as defined in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-390.1(b)(8).

(16) Access for youth groups. – Laboratory schools are encouraged to facilitate access for students to participate in activities provided by any youth group listed in Title 36 of the United States Code as a patriotic society, such as the Boy Scouts of America, and its affiliated North Carolina groups and councils, and the Girl Scouts of the United States of America, and its affiliated North Carolina groups and councils. Student participation in any activities offered by these organizations shall not interfere with instructional time during the school day for the purposes of encouraging civic education.

(17) Child sexual abuse and sex trafficking training program. – The chancellor shall adopt and ensure implementation of a child sexual abuse and sex trafficking training program in accordance with N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-375.20

(18) School-based mental health plan required. – A laboratory school shall adopt a school-based mental health plan, including a mental health training program and suicide risk referral protocol, in accordance with N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-376.5

(19) A laboratory school shall implement the rule addressing student awareness of child abuse and neglect, including sexual abuse, adopted by the State Board of Education under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-12(47).

(20) Computer science reporting. – A laboratory school shall annually report the information required by N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-12(48) to the State Board of Education, the Senate Appropriations Committee on Education/Higher Education, and the House Appropriations Committee on Education no later than September 15.

(21) Digital learning dashboard updates. – A laboratory school shall annually update information to the digital learning dashboard, as required by N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-102.9

(22) Cultural expression at graduation ceremonies. – A laboratory school shall comply with N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-407.40 at all graduation ceremonies.

(23) Athletic teams. – A laboratory school organizing athletic teams for middle or high school students to participate in interscholastic or intramural athletic activities shall do so in accordance with N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-12(23).

(24) Laboratory schools shall comply with the requirements for public school units in Part 2 of Article 8C of Chapter 115C of the N.C. Gen. Stat.. (2016-94, s. 11.6(a); 2017-57, s. 7.26(k); 2017-117, s. 1; 2018-5, s. 10.1(a); 2019-82, s. 4(c); 2019-245, s. 4.4(d); 2020-7, s. 1(e); 2020-56, s. 2(d); 2021-130, s. 3(f); 2021-132, s. 6(g); 2021-180, ss. 7.9(f), 7.61(e); 2022-59, s. 1(b); 2022-74, s. 7.13(b); 2023-43, s. 3(c); 2023-63, s. 5(e); 2023-78, s. 5(f), (g); 2023-109, s. 1(d).)