(a) The governing
body of a district shall make available, at no cost to the student or the
student's parent, a basic boarding program to all secondary school age children
in the district who do not have daily access to a school of the appropriate
grade level by being transported a reasonable distance. The following rules
apply:
(1) A basic boarding program must
provide for each student
(A) suitable living
accommodations, including room and board and supervision while the student is
not in school, which satisfy the applicable requirements of state law and
regulations;
(B) round-trip
transportation to and from the student's usual home; and
(C) daily access to a school offering the
appropriate grade level.
(2) Students in a basic boarding program must
be placed in accordance with their best interests, taking into account special
educational needs.
(3) To qualify
for funding by the Department of Education and Early Development, a district's
basic boarding program must satisfy the requirements of (1) and (2) of this
subsection. Applications for funding must contain the following:
(A) the name, village and grade level of each
student;
(B) the location of each
student's boarding placement; and
(C) a budget showing transportation, room and
board, and out-of-school supervision costs.
(4) Direct costs that may be claimed for
reimbursement under this section are:
(A)
those associated with one annual round trip between the community of residence
and the school location;
(B) a room
and board stipend during the school year; and
(C) up to 30 percent of the stipend amount
for out-of-school supervision of students at locations outside the school
district of residence.
(5) Administrative and out-of-school
supervision costs for pupils attending schools within their school district of
residence are the responsibility of the school district.
(6) Indirect costs may be claimed against
approved expenditures based upon the Department of Education and Early
Development annual approved indirect cost rate.
(7) The commissioner will review and adjust
stipend rates annually, based upon information prepared by the Alaska
Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the University of Alaska
Cooperative Extension Service, and the U.S. Department of Labor Consumer Price
Index for the Anchorage area. The commissioner will notify school districts of
final rates, and the information upon which adjustments were based, by August
15 of the school year to which they apply.
(8) If claims for reimbursement under this
section exceed the amount appropriated for that purpose, the commissioner will
deny reimbursement of administrative costs, reduce or deny costs associated
with student supervision, and prorate student stipends based upon days served,
in that order.
(b) No
student may be suspended or expelled from a boarding program without due
process of law.
As of Register 151 (October 1999), the regulations attorney
made technical revisions under
AS
44.62.125(b)(6) to reflect
the name change of the Department of Education to the Department of Education
and Early Development made by ch. 58, SLA 1999, and the corresponding title
change of the commissioner of
education.
