Montana § 20-6-808 - Enrollment

§ 20-6-808. Enrollment

Enrollment. (1) (a) A public charter school must be open to any student residing in the state. (b) A school district may not require a student enrolled in the school district to attend a public charter school. (c) A public charter school may limit admission to students within a given age group or grade level. (d) A public charter school may be organized for a special emphasis, theme, or concept as stated in the school's proposal. (e) A public charter school shall enroll all students who wish to attend the school unless the number of students exceeds the capacity of a program, class, grade level, or building. (f) If capacity is insufficient to enroll all students who wish to attend the school, the public charter school shall select students through a lottery. (2) (a) A public charter school shall give enrollment preference to students who are residents of the located school district. (b) A public charter school may give enrollment preference to: (i) students who were enrolled in the public charter school the previous school year and to siblings of students already enrolled in the public charter school. An enrollment preference for returning students excludes those students from entering a lottery. (ii) children of members of a public charter school's governing board and full-time employees, limited to no more than 10% of the school's total student population. (3) This section does not preclude the formation of a public charter school for the purpose of serving students with disabilities, students of the same gender, students who pose a sufficiently severe disciplinary problem to warrant a specific educational program, or students who are at risk of academic failure. If capacity is insufficient to enroll all students who wish to attend such a school, the public charter school shall select students through a lottery. (4) If a student who was previously enrolled in a public charter school enrolls in any other public school in this state, the student's new school shall accept credits earned by the student in courses or instructional programs at the public charter school. (5) A school district shall provide or publicize to parents and the general public information about public charter schools as an enrollment option within the district to the same extent and through the same means that the district provides and publicizes information about noncharter public schools in the district. (6) The board of public education may not restrict the number of students a public charter school may enroll. The capacity of the public charter school must be determined annually by the governing board in consideration of the public charter school's ability to facilitate the academic success of its students, to achieve the objectives specified in the charter contract, and to ensure that its student enrollment does not exceed the capacity of its facility or site.