Virginia § 22.1-349.3 - Establishment and operation of college partnership laboratory schools; requirements

§ 22.1-349.3. Establishment and operation of college partnership laboratory schools; requirements

A. A college partnership laboratory school is subject to all federal and state laws and regulations and constitutional provisions prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, ancestry, or need for special education services.

B. Enrollment in college partnership laboratory schools shall be open through a lottery process on a space-available basis to any student who is deemed to reside within the Commonwealth. A waiting list shall be established if adequate space is not available to accommodate all students whose parents have requested to be entered in the lottery process. Such waiting list shall also be prioritized through a lottery process, and parents shall be informed of their student's position on the list. For college partnership laboratory schools that form a collaborative partnership with one or more local school divisions in accordance with subsection G, enrollment in the college partnership laboratory school shall be administered by one of the partnering divisions.

C. A college partnership laboratory school shall be administered and managed by a governing board. Pursuant to a contract and as specified in § 22.1-349.4, a college partnership laboratory school is subject to the requirements of the Standards of Quality, including the Standards of Learning and the Standards of Accreditation, and such regulations as are determined by the Board.

D. Pursuant to a college partnership laboratory school agreement, a college partnership laboratory school is responsible for its own operations, including such budget preparation, contracts for services, and personnel matters as are specified in the agreement. A college partnership laboratory school may also negotiate and contract with a school board, the governing body of an institution of higher education, or any third party for the use of a school building or grounds, the operation and maintenance of such building or grounds, and the provision of any service, activity, or undertaking that the college partnership laboratory school is required to perform in order to carry out the educational program described in its contract. Any services for which a college partnership laboratory school contracts with a school board or institution of higher education shall not exceed the cost to the school division or institution to provide such services.

E. No college partnership laboratory school shall charge tuition for courses required for high school graduation. However, (i) tuition may be charged for courses for which the student receives college credit and enrichment courses that are not required to earn a Board-approved high school diploma and (ii) for college partnership laboratory schools that form a collaborative partnership with one or more local school divisions in accordance with subsection G, the school board of the partnering school division that administers student enrollment in accordance with subsection A may charge tuition in accordance with § 22.1-5 for students who do not reside within the partnering school division.

F. An approved college partnership laboratory school shall be designated as a local education agency but shall not constitute a school division.

G. College partnership laboratory schools are encouraged to develop collaborative partnerships with local school divisions for the purpose of building seamless education opportunities for all preschool through postsecondary students in the Commonwealth. An educational program provided to students enrolled in a local school division pursuant to a collaborative partnership between the college partnership laboratory school and the local school division is the educational program of the local school division for purposes of the Standards of Accreditation.

2010, cc. 816, 871, § 23-299.2; 2012, cc. 176, 580; 2014, c. 754; 2016, c. 588; 2020, c. 1137.