AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- SHEILA C. "SKIP" NOWELL ACADEMY

This bill restructures the Sheila C. "Skip" Nowell Academy from an independent charter school into a public school and local educational agency. The new structure allows the academy to operate under a cooperative agreement where costs are shared between the state and the school districts of the students' residence. While the academy will continue to serve at-risk students, including pregnant and parenting teens and recent immigrants, it will now be governed by a board of trustees appointed by the state council rather than running as a standalone charter. The legislation ensures that students retain all the same legal rights as those attending other public schools and outlines specific funding responsibilities for local districts.