194-B:2 Chartered Public Schools; Establishment; Parental Choice; Admission. –
I. Any school district legislative body may vote to designate one or more of its schools as a chartered public school.
II. Every chartered public school shall make available information about its curriculum and policies to all persons, and parents and pupils considering enrollment in that school.
III. There shall be no application fee for pupil admission to any chartered public school.
IV. All chartered public schools shall accept qualified pupils from any school district. A pupil who meets the admission requirements of a chartered public school, and who is a resident of the district where the school is located, shall be given absolute admission preference over a nonresident pupil. Once admitted and unless expelled, chartered public school pupils need not reapply for admission for subsequent years.
V. Attendance at a chartered public school for the purposes of transportation shall not constitute assignment under the provisions of RSA 189:6 and RSA 189:8. Pupils who reside in the school district in which the chartered public school is located shall be provided transportation to that school by the district on the same terms and conditions as provided for non-chartered public schools in the district and utilizing the same regular bus schedules and routes that are provided to pupils attending non-chartered public schools within that district.
VI. Upon approval by each of the district's legislative bodies and after a public hearing, 2 or more school districts may consolidate otherwise eligible resident pupils into one applicant pool for the purposes of an admissions lottery for designated chartered public schools.
VII. A chartered public school may be physically located outside the district establishing it, but shall be deemed within the school district for purposes of RSA 194-B.