5 Key Facts for You to Know for National Charter Schools Week

01May
by La Comadre

It’s National Charter Schools Week, which is a great reason to celebrate California’s great charter schools and also to inform our community about these school choice options for your child.

Here are five key facts that every parent should know about charter schools in California in light of this week long celebration.

  1. Charter schools are public schools. Charter schools are tuition free, non-sectarian, and cannot discriminate in admissions. This means that charter schools must admit any student who wants to attend, but if the demand exceeds capacity for the school, a random drawing will take place to determine who will get in.
  2. The majority of charter schools in California are run by nonprofit corporations. According to the California Charter School Association, less than one percent of charter schools in California are run by for-profit businesses. Actually, Marshall Tuck, a charter school advocate and a candidate for State Superintendent of Public Instruction, supports legislation to ban for-profit charter schools. Don’t let people tell you that supporting charter schools means that you back for-profit education.
  3. Charter schools are held accountable. Charter schools must follow state and federal law. They are also held accountable by their local school districts, county office of education, and State Board of Education. Schools can have their charters revoked if they don’t comply with the rules that they are governed under.
  4. Teachers at charter schools must have teaching credentials. Like traditional public schools, charter schools are required to hire credentialed teachers.
  5. Charter schools must accept students who have special needs. This goes back to point number one, but it’s worth repeating. If your child has a disability, charter schools cannot discriminate against him or her. Charter schools must work with the student who has a disability to meet his/her educational needs.

To learn more about National Charter Schools Week, click here.

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La Comadre

We are Moms, Tias, Ninas and Play-Tias who love children in our lives and we want to help every child succeed in school. Navigating schools and education—from preschool to college—is hard. We want to help each other with this.
We are all in this together with you. We want to be a resource for you and for all of the children you love. Whether you need some info or you have info to share, you know where to go…LA Comadre.

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