(1) In addition to any other duties provided by law, the facility schools board shall:
Adopt curriculum to be provided by approved facility schools. At a minimum, thefacility schools board shall align the curriculum for the core subjects of reading, writing, mathematics, science, history, and geography with the state content standards adopted pursuant to section 22-7-1005 and the state assessments administered as provided in section 22-7-1006.3. The curriculum must include a range of course work from which an approved facility school may select courses that meet the needs of the students who are placed at the facility.
Adopt accountability measures, including academic performance measures, to be applied to approved facility schools and the students receiving educational services through the approved facility schools; and
Award a high school diploma to a student who, while receiving services through anapproved facility school, meets the graduation requirements the facility schools board shall establish pursuant to subsection (3) of this section and who applies for the award of a high school diploma from the facility schools board.
(2) The facility schools board may make recommendations to the state board and to the department of human services regarding any of the following issues:
The process for placing a child or youth in a facility when the placement is initiatedby a public entity and methods for improving the involvement of school districts in such placement decisions;
The process for placing a child or youth in a facility when the placement is initiatedby action by or request of a private person and methods by which school districts may be involved in such placement decisions;
Methods and strategies for improving the quality of educational services provided byapproved facility schools and for improving the educational outcomes for students who receive educational services from approved facility schools;
Methods for recruiting and retaining highly qualified teachers and paraprofessionalsfor employment in approved facility schools;
The provision of appropriate services for students with disabilities, including the process for developing and reviewing individualized education programs;
Methods of reimbursing approved facility schools for the excess costs incurred inproviding educational services to students with disabilities, including direct and indirect costs;
The liability of the school districts of residence for providing a free and appropriatepublic education for the students who are placed in a facility and procedures to ensure students' rights to receive educational services;
The oversight and monitoring of approved facility schools; and
Any other issues that are determined by the facility schools board to be within itspurview and that are intended to improve educational outcomes for students receiving educational services from approved facility schools or to promote the efficient delivery of educational services to students who are placed in facilities.
(3) The facility schools board shall promulgate rules in accordance with the "State Administrative Procedure Act", article 4 of title 24, C.R.S., to establish procedures by which a student who participates in an approved facility school may apply to receive a high school diploma awarded by the facility schools board. The facility schools board shall also, by rule, establish the graduation requirements that a student receiving educational services through an approved facility school shall meet to be awarded the facility school's high school diploma. In adopting the graduation requirements, the facility schools board shall take into consideration the recommendations of the unit and shall ensure that the graduation requirements follow the guidelines for high school graduation requirements specified by the state board pursuant to section 22-2-106 (1)(a.5).
Source: L. 2008: Entire part added, p. 1379, § 1, effective May 27. L. 2015: (1)(a) amended, (HB 15-1323), ch. 204, p. 721, § 22, effective May 20.