KRS 164.380: Model and practice school -- Requirements -- Adoption of school policies --

Model and practice school advisory council -- Personnel.

(1) The board of regents of Eastern Kentucky University shall operate, maintain, and

serve as the fiscal agen t for a model and practice school which shall be an

educational laboratory school under the supervision of thoroughly trained and

certified education professionals for the purpose of piloting and testing kindergarten

through high school educational pedagog ies, practices, programs, assessments, and

innovations to further the educational mission of the Commonwealth.

(2) The model and practice school shall:

(a) Be a university -operated public school under the governance of the Eastern

Kentucky University board of regents that is separate from any school district;

(b) If confirmed by the board of regents, serve as a local education agency for the

purposes of federal programs;

(c) Be subject to all statutes and regulations applicable to any other subdivision of

the university, and to those statutes and regulations identified in this section or

those relating to health, safety, and civil rights that are applicable to school

districts;

(d) Enroll students in grades kindergarten through twelve (12), from any district

in the Commonwealth, in compliance with the university's nondiscrimination

policy and in alignment with the school's research objectives;

(e) Ensure students meet compulsory attendance requirements under KRS

158.030 and 158.100;

(f) Ensure high school course offerings meet or exceed the minimum high school

requirements established pursuant to KRS 156.160;

(g) Participate in the assessment and accountability system under KRS Chapter

158 in the same manner as a school district and be rated and reported in th e

same manner as a school district;

(h) Use the same system for recording student information data as utilized by

local school districts across the state in the same manner as a school district;

(i) Be subject to the same statutes requiring or authorizing criminal background

checks and clear CA/N checks as specified in KRS 160.380 and 161.148 in

the same manner as a school district;

(j) Provide instructional time that is at least equivalent to the student instructional

year specified in KRS 158.070;

(k) Be eligible to participate in the education technology funding program under

the same conditions as a district under KRS 157.655 and 157.665;

(l) Provide sufficient data to the Department of Education to generate school

report cards under KRS 158.6453;

(m) Unless otherwise prevented by state or federal law, be eligible to apply for or

participate in any state grant programs offered to school districts;

(n) Be eligible to participate in alternative educator certification, educator rank

change, and educator in ternship programs in the same manner as a school

district; and

(o) Be eligible to participate in state -sponsored interscholastic athletics, academic

programs, competitions, awards, scholarships, and recognition programs for

students, educators, administrat ors, and schools to the same extent, and

subject to the same conditions, as any other public school or individual.

(3) The board of regents shall adopt model and practice school policies to:

(a) Develop and identify the research objectives to be conducted in the school that

shall respond to the education needs within the Commonwealth and may be

coordinated with the Department of Education, the Education Professional

Standards Board, other academic colleges at Eastern Kentucky University,

other universities or state agencies, or as directed by the General Assembly;

(b) Govern the conduct of research at the school by the university and other

research partners;

(c) Establish tuition and fees, if any, for student enrollment. The policy shall

include that no stud ent who would qualify under federal law for free or

reduced-price lunch shall be required to pay fees and no student shall be

required to pay additional tuition or fees for exceptional education services;

(d) Establish enrollment guidelines that reflect th e school's research objectives

and may include a maximum enrollment cap of students residing in a local

school district through an agreement entered into with the district's local board

of education;

(e) Provide for the operation and management of the scho ol, which shall include

establishing the guidelines for the selection, implementation, and procurement

of instructional programs, resources, materials, technology, and textbooks;

and

(f) Issue high school diplomas to students who meet the state graduation

requirements established pursuant to KRS 156.160.

(4) The Eastern Kentucky University board of regents shall establish a model and

practice school advisory council to provide general oversight and guidance for the

operation of the school.

(a) The advisory council shall be composed of:

1. The superintendent of the school, who shall serve as chair;

2. One (1) member who shall be a faculty member working at the school;

3. Two (2) members who shall be faculty working outside of the school;

4. Two (2) members wh o shall be residing in counties in which students

attending the school reside;

5. Two (2) members who shall be parents of students attending the school;

and

6. One (1) member who shall be a secondary student at the school.

(b) Other than the superintendent , all members of the advisory council shall be

appointed by the president of the university for two (2) year terms beginning

on July 1 and any vacancy shall be filled in the same manner for the balance

of the unexpired term.

(c) The council shall annually elect a vice chair at the first meeting of the school

year.

(d) Council members shall not receive a per diem for their service but may be

reimbursed for travel related expenses according to policies adopted by the

board of regents.

(e) The council shall advise the superintendent, president, and board of regents on

matters relating to the function of the school and shall:

1. Meet at least quarterly;

2. Review and provide feedback on the strategic plan of the school;

3. Review and provide feedback on the resu lts of student performance,

programs and initiatives, and the implementation of the strategic plan;

4. Provide recommendations on programming and research; and

5. Provide feedback to the president on the performance of administrative

team members of the school.

(5) The average daily attendance of the students attending the model and practi ce

school shall be included in the average daily attendance of the students' districts of

residence for the purpose of determining equalization under KRS 157.440(1)(a) and

(b) and KRS 157.621. The Department of Education shall also grant a district of

residence a deduction for each of the district's students attending the model and

practice school that adjusts the calculation under KRS 157.390(5) of the district's

amount of local tax revenues generated for school purposes.

(6) The superintendent of the mode l and practice school and the commissioner of

education shall collaborate on the identification of research initiatives for the model

and practice school that may be relevant to the Commonwealth.

(7) All personnel of the model and practice school shall be university employees and

shall be hired and employed subject to the university's policies and procedures.

(8) Nothing in this section shall prohibit the superintendent or other model and practice

school personnel from serving in other roles within the univ ersity. School personnel

shall possess appropriate certifications and licenses as determined by the Education

Professional Standards Board. However, school personnel shall be subject to the

university's promotion, compensation, and tenure policies and othe r personnel

policies adopted by the board of regents.