Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 13, September 23, 2024
Subpart 1.
Evaluation.
A. The commissioner shall annually evaluate
the enrollment of protected students in each district to determine whether the
district as a whole is racially isolated. If the commissioner determines that a
district is racially isolated, as defined in part
3535.0110, subpart
7, the commissioner shall
immediately notify the district and its adjoining districts. The commissioner
may also send notice to other districts that are not adjoining if the
commissioner determines that it would be geographically feasible for such
districts to participate in cross-district planning. Districts that are not
adjoining may choose whether to participate in the cross-district
planning.
B. A racially isolated
district shall not be required to follow subparts
2 to
8 if the district is isolated
only as a result of the enrollment of American Indian students whose unique
academic and culturally related educational needs are being addressed by
district programs and the district has established a parent committee under
Minnesota Statutes, section
124D.78.
A district racially isolated as a result of the enrollment of American Indian
students shall be required to follow subparts
2 to
8, if the district is also
racially isolated as a result of the enrollment of other protected students
excluding the enrollment of American Indian students.
Subp. 2.
Establishment of multidistrict
collaboration council.
Upon receiving notice under subpart
1, the isolated and adjoining
districts shall establish a multidistrict collaboration council, as provided in
subpart
3, to develop a plan under
this part. The council shall work as provided under subpart
5 to identify ways to offer
cross-district opportunities to improve integration.
Subp. 3.
Membership of multidistrict
collaboration council.
Each isolated district and each of its adjoining districts
shall appoint individuals to participate in the multidistrict collaboration
council. The council shall be reasonably representative of the diversity of the
participating districts. If any of the participating districts have an American
Indian parent committee formed under Minnesota Statutes, section
124D.78,
a representative of those committees shall also be appointed.
Subp. 4.
Alternatives to a
multidistrict collaboration council.
A.
Participating districts that are members of joint powers boards that have
advisory councils meeting the requirements of subpart
3 may use those joint powers
boards and advisory councils in lieu of creating a new council under subpart
2.
B. Participating districts that have an
existing committee whose composition reflects the membership requirements of
subpart
3, may use this committee in
lieu of creating a new council under subpart
2.
Subp. 5.
Council cooperation and
plan.
The multidistrict collaboration council shall identify ways
of creating increased opportunities for interracial contact and establish goals
for meeting this objective. After identifying these opportunities and goals,
the council shall develop a joint collaboration plan for cross-district
integration that may include the incentives contained in subpart
6, item B.
Subp. 6.
District plan.
A. After receiving the plan required in
subpart
5 from its council, each
district shall review, modify if necessary, and ratify the integration plan.
Each district shall provide a plan to the commissioner that describes how the
goal of greater opportunities for interracial contact between students will be
met and that describes the interdistrict integration efforts the district plans
to implement. The plan shall be completed and ratified no longer than 12 months
after the district receives notice under part
3535.0180, subpart
1. The plan shall include:
(1) the extent of community outreach that
preceded the interdistrict plan;
(2) cross-district integration issues
identified;
(3) goals of the
integration effort; and
(4) how the
goals will be or are being accomplished.
B. All collaboration plans under this part
must be educationally justifiable and contain options for interdistrict
integration that may include, for example:
(1) providing cooperative transportation that
helps balance racially isolated districts;
(2) providing incentives for low-income
students to transfer to districts that are not racially isolated;
(3) developing cooperative magnet programs or
schools designed to increase racial balance in the affected
districts;
(4) designing
cooperative programs to enhance the experience of students of all races and
from all backgrounds and origins;
(5) providing cooperative efforts to recruit
teachers of color, and encouraging teacher exchanges, parent exchanges, and
cooperative staff development programs;
(6) encouraging shared extracurricular
opportunities, including, for example, community education programs that
promote understanding, respect, and interaction among diverse community
populations; and
(7) documenting,
in districts with ten or more American Indian students, how American Indian
students are able to participate in program options uniquely relevant to
American Indian students, including, for example, language and culture programs
under Minnesota Statutes, section
124D.74,
and how the students may participate in the district's voluntary integration
efforts.
Subp.
7.
Limits on participation in multidistrict collaboration
councils.
Notwithstanding subpart
2:
A. an isolated school district shall not be
required to be part of two or more collaboration councils;
B. adjoining districts shall not be required
to be part of two or more collaboration councils;
C. two adjoining racially isolated school
districts shall not be required to participate together on the same
collaboration council;
D. if a
racially isolated district is a member of a joint powers board under subpart
4, its adjoining districts
shall not be required to participate on the joint powers board; and
E. if an adjoining district is a racially
isolated district exempted from subparts
2 to
8 under subpart
1, item B, the district shall
not be required to be part of an interdistrict collaboration council and shall
not be required to provide a plan of interdistrict integration efforts to the
commissioner.
Subp. 8.
Timeline for reports.
Once a multidistrict collaboration plan has been filed with
the commissioner, it does not need to be renewed for a period of four years
from the date of filing.
Statutory Authority: MS s
124D.896
