§ 115C-238.66.  Board of directors; powers and duties.

The board of directors shall have the following powers and duties:

(1) Academic program. -

a. The board of directors shall establish the standard course of study for the regional 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 board of directors 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 this Chapter.

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

c. The board of directors shall provide the opportunity to earn or obtain credit toward degrees from a community college subject to Chapter 115D of the General Statutes or a constituent institution of The University of North Carolina.

d. The board of directors shall adopt a school calendar consisting of a minimum of 185 days or 1,025 hours of instruction covering at least nine calendar months.

e. The board of directors shall ensure that financial literacy instruction is provided as required by the State Board of Education pursuant to G.S. 115C-81.65, including required professional development for teachers of the EPF course.

f. The board of directors shall ensure that computer science instruction is provided as required by G.S. 115C-81.90.

g. The board of directors may offer a sequence of courses in accordance with G.S. 115C-83.31(c) and shall advise students using this sequence to graduate within three years of entering the ninth grade of the availability of early graduate scholarships under Part 7 of Article 23 of Chapter 116 of the General Statutes.

(2) Standards of performance and conduct. - The board of directors shall establish policies and standards for academic performance, attendance, and conduct for students of the regional school. The policies of the board of directors shall comply with Article 27 of this Chapter.

(3) School attendance. - Every parent, guardian, or other person in this State having charge or control of a child who is enrolled in the regional 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 regional school shall be in session. No person shall encourage, entice, or counsel any child to be unlawfully absent from the regional school. Any person who aids or abets a student's unlawful absence from the regional 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 board of directors, including regulations concerning lawful and unlawful absences, permissible excuses for temporary absences, maintenance of attendance records, and attendance counseling.

(4) Reporting. - The board of directors shall comply with the reporting requirements established by the State Board of Education in the Uniform Education Reporting System.

(5) Assessment results. - The board of directors shall provide data to the participating unit in which a student is domiciled on the performance of that student on any testing required by the State Board of Education.

(6) Education of children with disabilities. - The board of directors shall require compliance with laws and policies relating to the education of children with disabilities.

(7) Health and safety. - The board of directors shall require that the regional school meet the same health and safety standards required of a local school administrative unit.

The Department of Public Instruction shall ensure that regional schools comply with G.S. 115C-375.2A. The board of directors of a regional school shall provide the school with a supply of emergency epinephrine auto-injectors necessary to carry out the provisions of G.S. 115C-375.2A.

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

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

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

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

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

(7f) Information about child abuse and neglect. - A regional school shall implement the rule addressing student awareness of child abuse and neglect, including sexual abuse, adopted by the State Board of Education under G.S. 115C-12(47).

(7g) Each regional school shall comply with the requirements for public school units in Part 2 of Article 8C of this Chapter.

(8) Driving eligibility certificates. - The board of directors shall apply the rules and policies established by the State Board of Education for issuance of driving eligibility certificates.

(9) Purchasing and contracts. - The board of directors shall comply with the purchasing and contract statutes and regulations applicable to local school administrative units.

(10) Exemption from the Administrative Procedures Act. - The board of directors shall be exempt from Chapter 150B of the General Statutes, except final decisions of the board of directors in a contested case shall be subject to judicial review in accordance with Article 4 of Chapter 150B of the General Statutes.

(11) North Carolina School Report Cards. - A regional 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 regional school shall ensure that the overall school performance score and grade earned by the regional school for the current and previous four school years is prominently displayed on the school Web site. If a regional school earned an overall school performance grade of D or F, the regional school shall provide notice of the grade in writing to the parent or guardian of all students enrolled in that school.

(12) Policy against bullying. - A regional school is encouraged to adopt a policy against bullying or harassing behavior, including cyber-bullying, that is consistent with the provisions of Article 29C of this Chapter. If a regional school adopts a policy to prohibit bullying and harassing behavior, the regional school shall, at the beginning of each school year, provide the policy to staff, students, and parents as defined in G.S. 115C-390.1(b)(8).

(13) Access for youth groups. - Regional 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.

(14) Property insurance. - The board of directors shall comply with the requirements of G.S. 115C-523.1 and G.S. 115C-523.2 for any regional school building owned by the board of directors.

(15) Child sexual abuse and sex trafficking training program. - The board of directors shall adopt and implement a child sexual abuse and sex trafficking training program in accordance with G.S. 115C-375.20.

(16) School-based mental health plan required. - A regional school shall adopt a school-based mental health plan, including a mental health training program and suicide risk referral protocol, in accordance with G.S. 115C-376.5.

(17) Computer science reporting. - A regional school shall annually report the information required by G.S. 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.

(18) Digital learning dashboard updates. - A regional school shall annually update information to the digital learning dashboard, as required by G.S. 115C-102.9.

(19) Cultural expression at graduation ceremonies. - A regional school shall comply with G.S. 115C-407.40 at all graduation ceremonies.

(20) Muscadine grape juice. - A regional 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.

(21) Athletic teams. - A regional school organizing athletic teams for middle or high school students to participate in interscholastic or intramural athletic activities shall do so in accordance with G.S. 115C-12(23).

(22) Unpaid meal debt. - If a regional school participates in the school nutrition program, the regional school may not impose administrative penalties on a student for unpaid school meal debt in accordance with G.S. 115C-264(d). (2011-241, ss. 1, 6(a); 2012-142, ss. 7A.3(d), 7A.11(d); 2012-145, s. 2.5; 2013-360, s. 8.43(b); 2014-100, ss. 8.23(c), 8.32(c); 2015-241, s. 8.26(i); 2015-249, s. 4; 2017-57, s. 7.26(j); 2018-5, s. 7.26(d); 2019-82, s. 4(b); 2019-176, s. 1(c); 2019-245, s. 4.4(c); 2020-7, s. 1(d); 2021-130, s. 3(e); 2021-132, s. 6(d); 2021-180, ss. 7.9(e), 7.61(d); 2022-59, s. 1(a), (b); 2022-74, s. 7.13(b); 2023-43, s. 3(b); 2023-63, s. 5(d); 2023-78, s. 5(d), (e); 2023-109, s. 1(c); 2023-132, ss. 2.6(e), 3(b); 2023-134, ss. 7.60(c), 8A.6(q).)