Los Angeles Charter Schools Allowed to Write Their Own Rules

“The statute as I understand it…gives the District…the responsibility and authority of oversight”

- LAUSD Board Member George McKenna

Under District rules, every charter that is submitted to the LAUSD for approval must contain District Required Language (DRL). Some of this language simply ensures that the charter conforms to the California Education Code. Other sections cover requirements specific to the LAUSD, like conforming to the Chanda Smith Modified Consent Decree. The most disputed sections require protections that have been successfully blocked in Sacramento by the California Charter School Association (CCSA). An example would be the requirement that the “charter school shall comply with the Brown Act and the Public Records Act.” Charter schools have also been critical of the language that gives the Office of the Inspector General “broad authority — including subpoena power — to sniff out ‘waste, fraud, and abuse’”.

Last November, 20 charter schools refused to include District Required Language in their charter petitions. As a result, the LAUSD Charter School Division took the rare step of recommending…