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Board grills applicants on IEPs, lottery, transportation and discipline policy
Summary
Board members pressed the applicants on special‑education supports, whether the charter could exclude students with IEPs, transportation plans for low‑income students and the proposed code of conduct; applicants said they must accept students and are pursuing grant and contract options for transportation and supports.
Board members asked how the Academy of Performing Arts would serve students with IEPs and 504 plans, and whether admissions processes could exclude those students. The applicants answered that they do not exclude students with IEPs and that enrollment and staffing for special‑needs supports will scale with actual enrollment.
"No. We do not," one applicant said when asked whether the lottery could be used to exclude students with IEPs. The planning team said after‑school tutoring would explicitly include supports for special‑needs students and that they are applying for a $100,000 grant to help fund those services. On transportation, the applicants said charter law does not require buses but that they are seeking appropriations and contracts to ensure access for lower‑income students; they cited outreach to state lawmakers and contacts who could help fund buses and instruments.
The applicants also said they adapted a Cleveland County code of conduct with minor changes for uniforms and discipline, and that final policies would be formalized by the school's governing body and subject to board review before opening.
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