53A-1a-106 - School district and individual school powers.
53A-1a-106. School district and individual school powers.
(1) In order to acquire and develop the characteristics listed in Section 53A-1a-104, eachschool district and each public school within its respective district shall implement acomprehensive system of accountability in which students advance through public schools bydemonstrating competency in required skills and mastery of required knowledge through the useof diverse assessment instruments such as authentic and criterion referenced tests, projects, andportfolios.
(2) (a) Each school district and public school shall:
(i) develop and implement programs integrating technology into the curriculum,instruction, and student assessment;
(ii) provide for teacher and parent involvement in policymaking at the school site;
(iii) implement a public school choice program to give parents, students, and teachersgreater flexibility in designing and choosing among programs with different focuses throughschools within the same district and other districts, subject to space availability, demographics,and legal and performance criteria;
(iv) establish strategic planning at both the district and school level and site-baseddecision making programs at the school level;
(v) provide opportunities for each student to acquire and develop academic andoccupational knowledge, skills, and abilities;
(vi) participate in ongoing research and development projects primarily at the schoollevel aimed at improving the quality of education within the system; and
(vii) involve business and industry in the education process through the establishment ofpartnerships with the business community at the district and school level.
(b) (i) Each local school board, in consultation with school personnel, parents, andschool community councils or similar entities shall establish policies to provide for the effectiveimplementation of a personalized student education plan (SEP) or student education/occupationplan (SEOP) for each student at the school site.
(ii) The policies shall include guidelines and expectations for:
(A) recognizing the student's accomplishments, strengths, and progress towards meetingstudent achievement standards as defined in U-PASS;
(B) planning, monitoring, and managing education and career development; and
(C) involving students, parents, and school personnel in preparing and implementingSEPs and SEOPs.
(iii) A parent may request conferences with school personnel in addition to SEP or SEOPconferences established by local school board policy.
(iv) Time spent during the school day to implement SEPs and SEOPs is considered partof the school term referred to in Subsection 53A-17a-103(5).
(3) A school district or public school may submit proposals to modify or waive rules orpolicies of a supervisory authority within the public education system in order to acquire ordevelop the characteristics listed in Section 53A-1a-104.
(4) (a) Each school district and public school shall make an annual report to its patronson its activities under this section.
(b) The reporting process shall involve participation from teachers, parents, and thecommunity at large in determining how well the district or school is performing.
Amended by Chapter 221, 2003 General Session