Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 9, September 27, 2024
Palmetto Unified School District No. 1 (PUSD) was established
in 1981 by the South Carolina General Assembly, pursuant to S.C. Code Ann. §
24-25-10,
to provide educational services to inmates through a statewide school district.
PUSD as a sanctioned school district is also mandated to comply with the
regulations of the State Board of Education (SBE) unless otherwise noted in
this regulation.
I. District
Organization
The PUSD shall provide a defined educational program that
complies with standards prescribed for the Board of Trustees, district
operations, secondary grades, and adult education, unless otherwise noted in
this regulation.
A. Due to the
uniqueness of the school population served by the PUSD (i.e., the large number
of students over the public school age of 21 and age disparity within each
institution), the operation of a dual program of secondary and adult education
for the majority of the district's schools is necessary. The following
classifications will be recognized as the organizational patterns for school
operation within the district:
Secondary (Grades 9-12)
Adult Education (Level 1, Level 2, High School Equivalency
Programs)
B. Students of
public school age (17-21) are assigned under pupil classification system as set
forth in the Education Finance Act (EFA) as either secondary students (grades
9-12), students enrolled in a high school equivalency program, students with
disabilities, or career and technology education (CATE) students. Students who
become twenty-one years old after September 1 of the school year will remain
under the secondary grade pupil classification for the entire school year.
Students over public school age will be assigned to the adult education
program.
C. Accredited schools
shall operate a minimum of 1,170 instructional hours for all students.
Exercises for issuing diplomas to graduates shall be scheduled at the
discretion of the PUSD. High school diploma credits will be awarded per
Regulation Regulation
43-234,
Defined Program, Grades 9-12 and Graduation Requirements.
II. District Governance
A. Board of Trustees
1. The school district Board of Trustees must
ensure quality schooling by providing rigorous, relevant instructional programs
for all students.
2. The PUSD shall
be under the control and management of its Board of Trustees. With the consent
of the agency director, the Board of Trustees shall operate as the executory
agent for the schools under its jurisdiction and shall perform administrative
functions as stated in S.C. Code Ann. §
24-25-70,
Powers and Duties of School Boards.
B. Board Policies
Written school board policies, cooperatively developed by
employees, administrative staff, and the Board of Trustees, are essential for
successful operation of the district's school system. School board policies
establishing the guidelines and responsibilities shall outline the relationship
of board members, the superintendent, and staff; provide understanding and
clarity of purpose; and facilitate administration. Copies of the school board
policies shall be filed on the district's web page.
C. School Budgets
Notwithstanding any other provision of the law, the Board of
Trustees in this state shall annually make available to the general public its
budget for that year.
D.
District Strategic Plan and School Renewal Plans
The PUSD will submit a five-year strategic plan to the South
Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) with annual updates due by April 30
each year. The district strategic plan, school renewal plans, and annual
updates must be reviewed and approved by the local Board of Trustees. District
and school planning should be in compliance with Regulation
43-261.
III. School and
District Reporting Requirements
The need for uniformity in collecting and reporting information
makes it necessary for the district to maintain a record system for accurate
reporting of information to the SCDE, the United States Department of Education
(ED), and the General Assembly. Compatibility of data at the district level is
required in the following areas:
A.
Finance
The PUSD shall maintain accurate accounting records of all
financial transactions in accordance with the SCDE's standard fiscal procedures
as outlined by the State Budget and Control Board. Funds will be expended
within the parameters set forth in the SCDE's Funding Manual.
B. Personnel
The PUSD shall maintain an accurate record of all personnel and
submit required staff information utilizing a prescribed format to the
appropriate office(s) at the SCDE.
C. Facilities and Equipment
The PUSD shall maintain an accurate inventory record of all
equipment and real property owned by the district.
D. Students
The PUSD shall maintain accurate and confidential student
records. The superintendent or designee shall verify the accuracy of
enrollment, attendance, and membership by category which shall be submitted to
appropriate office(s) at the SCDE.
1.
Student Records
a. The PUSD will maintain
accurate student data according to the pupil accounting system prescribed by
the SCDE.
b. The district
superintendent or designee will verify the accuracy of the student enrollment,
attendance, membership by category, and submit this information to the
SCDE.
2. Course Records
for Students
The district superintendent or designee will verify the
accuracy of course records for students.
3. Student Enrollment
a. Students will not be concurrently enrolled
in the Adult Basic Education (ABE) funding database and the EFA funding
database.
b. Cases of extended or
chronic illnesses that are certified by a physician and absences due to
emergency conditions may be approved by the principal as excusable.
c. Any student who receives fewer than 120
clock hours of instruction during a school year will not be eligible to receive
a full unit of credit unless the Board of Trustees approves excessive absences
in accordance with Regulation Regulation
43-274, and
the student makes up the work missed to satisfy the 120-hour requirement,
unless that credit is earned in a proficiency-based course, as permitted under
Regulation Regulation
43-234.
4. Transfer of Students
a. Accurate accounting records shall be
developed and maintained for student transfers and withdrawals according to
Regulation Regulation
43-273.
Comprehensive transcripts shall be submitted directly to the receiving school.
A permanent record of the transferred student shall be retained in the school
from which the student is transferred. All transfers and withdrawals shall be
in accordance with Regulation Regulation
43-273,
Transfers and Withdrawals.
b. Units
earned by a student in an accredited high school of this state or in a school
of another state, which is accredited under the regulations of the Board of
Education of that state, will be accepted under the same value which would
apply to students in the school to which they transferred.
IV. School Personnel
Based on EFA Requirements
A. School Personnel
Workload
1. PUSD will be divided into
regions. Each region will have no more than three (3) schools. Each region will
be staffed by a full-time properly certified principal.
2. Each region will be staffed by a properly
certified guidance counselor.
3.
Each region will be staffed by a properly certified media specialist.
4. All students with disabilities under the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) will receive special
education and related services consistent with their individualized education
program (IEP), in accordance with the IEP. Caseload and class size must adhere
to the relevant state regulations governing special education.
B. Minimum District Staff
The South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) shall
employ a superintendent of the PUSD who shall be employed full time.
C. Additional District Staff
Operation of the school program involves functions of
management and administration as well as teaching, counseling, supervising, and
related activities. The enrollment and scope of the educational program will
determine the size of the district staff as determined by the superintendent.
Any additional personnel who may need to be employed and who have
responsibilities for supervising instructional programs and pupil services
shall be properly certified.
D. All certified staff will be paid according
to the statewide minimum salary schedule, adjusted for 235-day school
year.
E. Program of Professional
Development and Evaluation
1. The PUSD shall
provide professional development for all educational personnel on an annual and
long-range basis.
2. Each school
shall implement a district-approved professional development program in
addition to regularly scheduled faculty meetings. These activities shall be
correlated with the district's professional development and strategic plans as
well as the school renewal plan.
V. Programs of Study
To assure a continuous learning experience, students may enter
a course at any time. Students enrolled in a Carnegie unit course may receive
one unit of credit upon successful completion of a course that requires a
minimum of 120 hours of instruction. One-half credit may be awarded for a
course that requires a minimum of 60 hours of instruction, and one-fourth
credit may be awarded for a course requiring 30 hours of instruction. A student
enrolled in a course offered by the SCDE's virtual education program or another
Distance Learning program may receive one unit of credit upon successful
completion of a course as required by the SCDE. In addition, the PUSD may offer
proficiency-based courses pursuant to the requirements of Regulation
43-234.
A. Minimum Course Offerings
1. The number of course offerings will be
determined by the PUSD superintendent according to the size of student
enrollment and course needs of students, The courses offered may include, but
are not limited to, the areas of English language arts, mathematics, social
studies, science, the arts, and CATE.
2. Each school shall provide adequate
personnel, facilities, equipment, and supplies for its instructional program as
determined by the superintendent.
3. The instructional day must be at least 6
hours, excluding lunch, or the equivalent weekly in accordance with §
59-1-425.
In order to receive EFA funding, students must attend a minimum of 200 minutes
daily or its equivalent for an annual accumulation of 36,000 minutes according
to R.43-172.
4. Due to the individualized instructional
program and the ever changing school population within the district, special
consideration shall be given to allow credit and non-credit students to attend
classes concurrently. Students at different unit credit levels shall also be
allowed to attend classes concurrently in the same subject area.
B. High School Credit Courses
1. No student may earn more than one unit of
credit for 120 hours of instruction.
2. Regulation Regulation
43-262
regarding assessment shall apply to students enrolled in high school
courses.
C. High School
Equivalency Programs
1. A candidate for a
state high school equivalency certificate who is seventeen to twenty-one years
of age and incarcerated within the South Carolina Department of Corrections
must submit proper documentation completed by either a PUSD school principal,
adult education director, or the district superintendent indicating the
candidate is no longer enrolled in a program generating EFA funding. The
documentation must verify the candidate's date of birth and the date of his or
her last attendance at the PUSD EFA program. Verification letters are to be
submitted with the application for testing.
2. EFA students who pass a high school
equivalency exam may be enrolled in a CATE vocational class or be withdrawn
from school. Those who are under the age of twenty-one and fail the high school
equivalency exam will remain in the EFA database. Students who re-enroll must
meet the minimum requirements as set forth in the Pupil Accounting Manual per
Regulation Regulation 43-172.
D. Classroom Instruction
Classroom instruction will be based on the current SBE-adopted
and approved academic standards for a given content area. Content areas shall
include, but not be limited to, English language arts, mathematics, science,
social studies, the arts, and CATE. CATE programming shall be offered at each
school. Additional courses may be offered depending upon student enrollment,
need, and availability of a certified teacher as designated by the
superintendent or designee and as required by SBE Regulation Regulation
43-234
to include financial literacy; environmental studies; foreign language;
alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs; and visual and performing arts. Other
courses in the areas of physical education, health education, other elective
courses, and Advanced Placement offerings should be provided as
appropriate.
E. Impact of
Crime Classes
Impact of Crime classes may be offered in all schools that have
teaching assistants as a transitional skill, as designated by the
superintendent/designee.
F.
Special Education
1. A specialized program of
instruction utilizing the resource, itinerant, or self-contained model shall be
made available to students with disabilities. Special education and related
services must be provided to students with disabilities as set forth in their
individualized education programs (IEPs); and to the maximum extent possible,
they must be educated with their nondisabled peers in the least restrictive
environment, consistent with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(2004) and SBE Regulation Regulation
43-243.
Students with disabilities must have available to them a free appropriate
public education, consistent with SBE Regulation Regulation
43-243
and 34 C.F.R. § 300.102(a)(2).
2.
Student/teacher ratios will comply with SBE Regulation Regulation
43-205.
G. Instructional Materials
EFA students may be issued state-adopted instructional
materials. Students will pay for lost or damaged materials. Replacement
materials will not be issued until the debt is paid.
H. Media Center
The district shall utilize the institutional libraries. A
committee, as designated by the superintendent/designee, and the media
specialist shall be responsible for reviewing and selecting reading materials
that are appropriate for the needs of students, including print and electronic
or digital versions of materials.
I. Advisory Councils
The superintendent or designee may establish advisory councils,
including but not limited to a Student Advisory Council, Teacher Advisory
Council, School Improvement Council, and a Career and Technology Advisory
Council. Advisory councils shall meet no less than annually. No advisory
council shall have any of the powers and duties reserved by law or regulation
of the Board of Trustees.
J. Accident Prevention
Each school will comply with safety regulations as prescribed
in state law and approved in the individual institution's emergency plan
(Section
59-63-910,
S.C. Code of Laws, 1976, as amended).
K. Emergency Closings
All school closings, other than for security reasons, must be
approved by the district superintendent or designee and reported to the
SCDE.
L. Displaying of
United States and South Carolina Flags (R.43-188)
Each school will display the American and State flags
appropriately.
VI. Adult Education
The adult education program is designed primarily for, but not
limited to, adults over twenty-one years of age. Those students who are under
twenty-one years of age that have withdrawn from a PUSD EFA school to prepare
for a high school equivalency program may participate in the adult education
program. The district shall provide educational programs, including the
following:
Academic Education Level I (1-8), Level II (9-12), High School
Diploma Program, and the SCDE virtual education program or other Distance
Learning programs.
A. Academic
Education
1. Level 1: Basic education shall
include organized and systematic instruction in the skills of language arts and
mathematics.
2. Level II: High
school completion shall provide a more defined and structured program which
will allow the student to work concurrently toward preparing for the high
school equivalency diploma and/or toward receiving high school unit
credits.
3. High School Diploma
Program: High school credit may be granted for a course completed in an
approved adult education program provided (1) the teacher is properly certified
to teach the course, and (2) the student receives a minimum of 60 clock hours
of instruction. A school may award one unit of credit for a course that has
been approved by the SCDE in a proficiency-based system. A proficiency-based
course may also be offered for one-fourth and one-half unit if the system
specifies these units (R.Regulation
43-234).
High school diploma credits will be awarded per R.43-259,
Graduation Requirements.
4. High
School Equivalency Programs
a. Students who
are not currently enrolled as part of the EFA funding formula will be eligible
to take a high school equivalency program exam upon the recommendation of the
principal or school leader. Attainment of a high school equivalency diploma
will be determined by achieving a passing score as determined by the SCDE and
approved by the SBE.
b. A candidate
for a state high school equivalency certificate who is seventeen to twenty-one
years of age and incarcerated within the South Carolina Department of
Corrections must submit proper documentation completed by either a PUSD school
principal, adult education director, or the district superintendent indicating
the candidate is no longer enrolled in a program generating EFA funding. The
documentation must verify the candidate's date of birth and the date of his or
her last attendance at the PUSD EFA program. Verification letters are to be
submitted with the application for testing.
B. Adult Basic Education (ABE) Personnel
1. Each adult education teacher must be
properly certified and meet appropriate federal statutory
requirements.
2. Each adult
education high school subject area teacher must be properly certified and meet
appropriate federal statutory requirements to teach the subject area in which
he or she is assigned to teach in order to award a Carnegie unit.
C. Special Education Services
Special education and related services must be provided to
students with disabilities as set forth in their individualized education
programs (IEPs); and to the maximum extent possible, they must be educated with
their nondisabled peers in the least restrictive environment, consistent with
the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004) (IDEA) and SBE
Regulation Regulation
43-243.
Students with disabilities must have available to them a free appropriate
public education, consistent with SBE Regulation Regulation
43-243
and 34 C.F.R. § 300.102(a)(2), until they graduate with a South Carolina high
school diploma or reach the maximum age for coverage under the IDEA.
D. ABE Professional Development
ABE staff will participate in adult education professional
development as required by the SCDE.
The following SBE Regulations do not apply to PUSD:
R.43-220-Gifted
and Talented
R.43-231-Defined
Program Grades K-5
R.43-232-Defined
Program 6-8
R.43-240-Summer
School Programs
R.43-241-Medical
Homebound Instruction
R.43-242-Driver
Training
R.43-244-Interscholastic
Activities
R.43-246-Instruction
at a Place Other Than School
R.43-265-Parental/Family
Literacy
R.43-268-Academic
Assistance Programs Grades 4-12
