Policies, Charter Agreements, Amendments & Compliance
These policies, approved by the DC Public Charter School Board, govern DC’s public charter local education agencies (LEAs). This page also includes charter agreements outlining each LEA’s responsibilities and amendments documenting approved changes to those agreements.
Approved Board Policies
| Policy Title | Policy Description |
|---|---|
| Financial Oversight Policy | The purpose of this policy is to ensure that, among other things, schools are financially responsible and viable. |
| School Expansion Policy | This policy explains the process by which DC PCSB will review charter amendment petitions pertaining to enrollment ceiling increases (ECI), grades served, and replications. |
| School Reorganization Policy | This policy offers three pathways to support the sector’s sustainability, efficiency, and quality. |
| ASPIRE Policy & Technical Guide | This policy documents the measures, metrics, and targets that DC PCSB uses to evaluate school academic performance in the categories of School Progress, School Achievement, School Environment, and School-Specific Performance. Documents how DC PCSB uses the ASPIRE System to evaluate schools. |
| Charter Goals Policy | This policy documents guidelines for approval of new or amended charter goals; assessment of goal attainment for SY2022-23 through SY2026-27; and monitoring of schools’ progress in meeting goals. Describes potential consequences for not meeting goals. |
| Accreditation Policy | This policy requires all schools to obtain accreditation within a designated period of operation; Identifies approved accrediting organizations and criteria to add new ones to the list. |
| Public Information Policy | This policy requires all public charter schools to publish specified school-related information on their websites in order to improve accessibility of information to families, students, and the public at large. |
| Emerging Multilingual Learner Audit and Monitoring Policy | This policy establishes criteria for review, audit, and subsequent monitoring related to required elements for meeting the needs of Emerging Multilingual Learner (EML) students under Title VI and other applicable laws. |
| Special Education Audit and Monitoring Policy | This policy establishes the criteria for review, audit, and subsequent monitoring of special education services required to meet the needs of students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). |
| Administrative Fee Policy | This policy establishes the following expectations related to DC PCSB’s LEA oversight fee as established in the SRA (DC Code § 38-1802.11(b)(2)): – 1% annual oversight fee based on an LEA’s annual budgeted revenue; – Exclusions from budget revenues for purposes of 1% calculation; – Billing occurs through an initial annual invoice and a later true-up invoice tied to finalized financial information. – Notification and restrictions on fee discounts, if any. |
| Definition of School, Campus, and Facility Policy | This policy defines school, campus, and facility to clarify PCSB’s charter granting, expansion, replication, and closure policies. |
| Covid-19 Vaccination Requirement Policy | The purpose of this policy is to outline how the DC Public Charter School Board (DC PCSB) will monitor for and enforce compliance with the Order. |
| Covid-19 Impact Policy | The policy was revised in December to describe additional changes to DC PCSB’s oversight and accountability practices for SY 2020-21. |
| Charter Agreement Amendment Petition Submission Policy | This policy reaffirms and establishes petition submission expectations for a school seeking revisions to its charter agreement. |
| Equitable Access Preference Approval and Monitoring Policy | This policy also outlines how schools approved for the preference may seek approval from DC PCSB to discontinue the preference, should it choose. |
| Community Complaint Policy | When a parent or community member reaches out to the DC Public Charter School Board (DC PCSB) with a complaint against a school, the primary goal is to ensure that the school has (a) followed its complaint process in order to address the parent’s concern (See D.C. Code § 38- 1802.04(c)(13)); (b) is in compliance with its charter and charter agreement, and (c) has not violated any applicable laws. |
| Student Admission Guidelines | This policy provides guidance for schools to comply with DC SRA requirements. |
| Admission Preference Policy | This policy describes the preferences in admission that public charter schools may give to applicants. |
| Data and Document Submission Policy | This policy describes the expectations of each school for timely submissions of data and documents to DC PCSB |
| Financial Analysis Report Technical Guide | The purpose of the FAR Technical Guide is to share the FAR’s content, methodology, and scope with school leaders, data managers, families, and other stakeholders. |
| Procurement Contract Submission Policy | With the exception of certain types of contracts, all procurement contracts over $25,000 must be publicly bid and all required documentation must be submitted to DC PCSB no later than three business days after a school awards the contract (except for the executed contract, which must be submitted to us within 30 calendar days of execution). |
| Mandatory School Notification Policy | February 11, 2019 |
| Transcript Audit Policy | This policy explains the process by which DC PCSB verifies the status of 9th-grade students, to ensure they are on track to graduate in four years (one of the indicators measured in the Performance Management Framework) as well as the graduate status of 12th-grade students to ensure they are on track to be included on the certified graduates list. |
| ANC Notification Policy | This policy outlines when DC PCSB will notify Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (“ANCs”) of proposed actions that will impact their respective neighborhoods. |
| High School Graduation Requirements Approval Process Policy | Graduation Requirements Approval Process Policy |
| Credit Recovery Policy | This Policy is guidance for the remainder of school year 2017-2018 (implemented but without penalties) and fully went into effect July 1, 2018. |
| Data Audit Policy | This policy determines potential triggers of audits of submitted data. |
| Attendance and Truancy Policy | This policy establishes truancy and chronic truancy levels for DC public charter schools. |
| Charter Amendments for Revised Goals and Academic Achievement Expectations Policy | DC PCSB supports alignment between a school’s goals and actual practice. However, the Board will generally not approve amendments to a schools’ goals or academic achievement expectations |
| Open Enrollment Policy | This policy describes strategies to ensure schools are in compliance with DC SRA. |
| Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”) Policy 2017 | This policy clarifies the restrictions on disclosure of students’ education records under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”) for the District of Columbia Public Charter School Board (the “Board”) and its employees. |
| Criteria for Determining Schools in Good Standing | This policy determines whether, and in what form, the DC Public Charter School Board (“PCSB”) should issue these letters. |
| Parent and Alumni Leadership Council (PALC) | The PALC will provide advice to DC PCSB regarding its policies related to public charter schools. The PALC offers members the opportunity to learn about the Board’s mission and priorities while encouraging parents to share information in their schools and communities. |
| Discipline Plans Policy | A description of a school’s discipline policies and procedures is required as part of its charter petition pursuant to the D.C. School Reform Act of 1995, D.C. Code §38-1802.02(10), which provides: A description of the student enrollment, admission, suspension, expulsion, and other disciplinary policies and procedures of the proposed school, and the criteria for making decisions in such areas. |
| Policy on Charter Renewal and Review Criteria | On June 25, 2015, the Board voted to approve, on an emergency basis, the policy |
| Common Lottery Board: Voting Procedures Policy | This policy establishes process by which DC PCSB will conduct an annual vote for LEA representative members of the Common Lottery Board. |
| Data Access Security Policy | Beginning in School Year 2013-14, all public charter Local Education Agencies (“LEAs”) and their constituent campuses will be responsible for ensuring that only authorized school staff have access to the school’s student-level data in DC PCSB’s data systems, including but not limited to ProActive, SharePoint, Epicenter, and Secure File Transfer Protocol (“SFTP”) sites. |
| Board of Trustees Compliance Policy | Beginning SY 2013-14, all Local Education Agencies (LEAs) must maintain a compliant Board of Trustees as outlined by the School Reform Act or be subject to a Notice of Concern. |
| Amendment Allowing Single Campus Closures Policy | DC PCSB’s only authority is to revoke the charter for an entire school, and the only way to effect the closure of a campus is to threaten the closure of an entire school unless that school’s board on its own closes the low-performing campus. |
Showing 0 of 0
Charter Agreements
The School Reform Act (or SRA) requires DC PCSB to conduct a charter review of each school at least every five years. We evaluate each school to determine whether it is meeting the charter goals and academic achievement expectations, legal compliance, and fiscal management requirements set forth in the charter agreement.
Charter School Agreements for Currently Operating Schools
Showing 0 of 0