SPED: Regulations and Procedures
The Regulations of the Commissioner are available online. Part 200 is the law regulating special education in New York State.
The Standard Operating Procedures Manual is a how-to guide explaining the entire special education referral, evaluation, and placement process in New York City.
Enrollment & Recruitment: Student Recruitment and Lottery
A presentation from the New York City Charter School Center's Start Right Program on student recruitment and the lottery. Also included as separate documents are templates for Project Planning, Event Planning and Documentation as well as resources for recruiting Special Populations such as ELL and special education students.
SPED: ATS Special Education Reports
This ATS report manual guides readers through the most common special education reports that schools can run within ATS.
State of the NYC Charter School Sector (2012)
What choices are charter schools providing? What are their results? Who are their students? And what is the outlook for charter schools' future? Read the Charter Center's new, data-rich report to find out.
General Municipal Law
Charter schools are subject to New York Municipal Law Sections 800-806. Charters, therefore must have codes of ethics and conflict of interest policies. In addition, after New York State enacted the Non-Profit Revitalization Act of 2013, schools must also have whistle-blower policies. See below for some exemplars. Schools should continue to consult with their own counsel when creating these policies.
| Attachment |
|---|
 General Municipal Law FAQ (2010) |
| Conflict of Interest Policy Template |
| Whistleblower Policy Template |
 Model Code of Ethics |
| Ethics for Trustees and Employees of Charter Schools (2010) |
Charter School Legal Guidance and Resources
New York State’s law on charter schools has changed in important ways. In addition to raising the statewide cap on charter schools, the revised law has implications for charter school approvals, renewals, governance, programs, enrollment, facilities, and more.
FACILITIES: School Safety Plans
Emergencies in schools must be addressed in an expeditious and effective manner. Schools are at risk of acts of violence, natural, and manmade disasters. To address these threats, the State of New York has enacted the Safe Schools Against Violence in Education (SAVE) law. Project SAVE is a comprehensive planning effort that addresses prevention, response and recovery with respect to a variety of emergencies in schools.
Individual charter schools are required by the NYSED to complete 2 safety plans: a District- Wide Safety Plan and a Building-Level Safety Plan. These plans differ as defined here taken directly from the NY Safe Schools website.
School Funding Comparisons by the NYC Independent Budget Office (IBO) (2010-11)
How do the funding levels compare, and the funding streams interact, for New York City charter and district schools? The City's Independent Budget Office (IBO) has issued three analyses on this topic, to which the Charter Center has responded with increasing, detailed criticism. The NYC Department of Education has also raised strong objections.
Family Handbook Exemplars
A family handbook provides charter school families with answers to their most common questions and helps to guide families and students in the school’s processes and policies related to the following:
- School Calendar
- Communication
- Academics
- Student Support
- Student Behavior and Discipline
- English Language Learners
- Family Engagement
- Student Health