Question & Answer Topics for
NC Conventional Non-Public Schools

 

Please click on the topic in which you are interested.

Accreditation, School
       Do colleges accept students who graduate from non-accredited high schools?
       How can I tell if a NC conventional non-public school is accredited?
       Is a school meeting NC's non-public school laws considered accredited?
       What are some advantages to a school's being accredited?

       What is involved in the process known as school accreditation?
       Why would a conventional non-public school choose not to be accredited?
Administrators, New School
Buses
       Are schools & child care centers covered under the NC Child Booster Seat law?
       Must all NC school buses be yellow in color?
       What determines if a vehicle is a bus?
       Where is there more NC school bus information available on the web?
       Where may I call with my bus questions?

Calendar/Schedule, School
       Adverse weather closings
       Must non-public schools require students to be on campus for a specific time period?
       Why recommend 180 school days and a 5 1/2 hour school day?
Child Day Care
       Does DNPE oversee schools enrolling children younger than age 5?
       What about Pre-Kindergarten programs for three or four year olds?

       Which NC government agency oversees schools enrolling children younger than age 5?
Code or Identification Numbers, School
       
Any government ID numbers which must be obtained for a new school?
       Does DNPE issue them to non-public schools?
       How are test company non-public school code numbers obtained?
Complaints About Schools

Curriculum
       Is the Public Schools of NC curriculum available on-line?
       Must non-public schools follow the Public Schools of NC curriculum?
Driver Education Course, Student
       How may I qualify to teach it?
       What are the laws relating to it?
       Where are there additional Q & A's on this topic?
Driving Eligibility Certificates, Student
       Must each conventional NC non-public school place its embossed seal on them?
       What are the procedures for revoking a student's driving eligibility certificate?

       What are the requirements & procedures for obtaining a driving eligibility certificate?
Flags, Display of US & NC
        Are NC non-public schools required to lower flags to half-staff?
        How are NC non-public schools notified when flags are to be lowered to half-staff?
Funding/Services, Government
       Any local government funded programs/services available to non-public schools?
       Any North Carolina government funded programs/services available to non-public schools?
       Any US government funded programs/services available to non-public schools?
       Child Day Care funding
       May NC public school systems elect to contract certain services to private schools?
       What about vouchers for non-public school attendance?
       Why does NC not provide funding to non-public schools?
Graduation Requirements, High School
       Are there state-mandated graduation requirements for non-public schools?
       Cutoff score for high school graduation
       How do I obtain Public Schools of NC graduation and UNC Entrance requirements?
Home School Families, Assistance to
       How may conventional non-public schools legally serve home school families?
       May conventional non-public schools operate "teaching-at-home" programs?
       May home schooled students participate in inter-school competitive activities?
Immunizations, Student
Independent Study/Distance Learning Programs
Inspections/On-Site Visits
       How frequently does DNPE perform on-site visits?
       Is there a preferred order for having the three initial building inspections conducted?
       Must building inspections be passed before initial occupancy of the building(s) can occur?
Kindergarten
       Are there ramifications for not following the Public Schools of NC entrance policy?
       Is there a mandatory kindergarten entrance age cutoff date for non-public schools?
       Must non-public school kindergartens operate full day sessions?
       What is the kindergarten entrance age policy for the Public Schools of NC?
Records/Transcripts, Student
       How long must they be kept?
       Is there a standard or universally used format for transcript design?
       May they be withheld for overdue financial accounts?
       Must they be released to students, parents or the general public upon request?
       What are the requirements for student record maintenance?
       What happens to them when a non-public school terminates operation?
School Regulation in NC, Non-Public
        Are there any legal requirement differences between boarding and day schools?
        Are there any legal requirements for private tutorial or enrichment providers?
        Are there any public school laws that are legally binding also on non-public schools?
        How did the present legal requirements become law?
        How long does it normally take to legally establish a conventional non-public school?
        Was Article 39 enacted after the compulsory attendance statutes?
        What is the State's regulatory philosophy underlying today's legal requirements?
        Which organizations oversee post high school private educational institutions?
 
        Why is DNPE a part of DOA instead of DPI?
Students
       Any NC non-public school laws addressing the administering of medications to students?
       
Do public school laws about special needs children apply to non-public schools?
       How do NC non-public schools handle excessive student absences and tardiness?
       Is corporal punishment permissible in NC non-public schools?
       Must certain aged children be housed on the ground floor of the school building?
       Must non-public schools require students to be on campus for a specific time period?
       What do I need to know about enrolling foreign students in a NC non-public school?
       What should school administrators know about the use of student social security numbers?
Summer Programs
       Are there any non-public school laws governing summer schools?
       Must a non-public school use only its regular school staff in them?
       What about summer recreational and specialized activity programs?
       What are the public school laws and policies governing their summer schools?
Teachers
       
Are health certificates required of non-public school teachers and other school staff?
       How can a NC non-public school have a criminal background check done on an employee?
       How do I get more information about Teacher Licensure?
       How does one obtain CEU credit toward Teacher Licensure renewal?
       Is Teacher Licensure required of NC non-public schools?
       
Must school administrators and staff report suspected abuse of juveniles?
Termination, School
       In terminating a conventional non-public school, what actions need to be taken?
       What happens to student records when the school is terminated?
Testing, National Standardized
       
Do Public Schools of North Carolina annual tests meet the testing requirement?
       How can I obtain nationally standardized tests?
       How can I obtain Public Schools of NC standardized tests?
       How do I know a test meets North Carolina legal criteria?
       Is a minimum test score required for promotion from grade to grade?
       Must non-public schools use the same standardized tests as NC public schools?
       Obtaining a school code number for college entrance/placement tests
       Special education student standardized testing requirement
       
What are the AP and the CLEP tests?
       Will the ACT, PSAT/NMSQT and SAT satisfy the testing requirement?

Textbooks
       Do NC public schools provide them free to non-public schools?
       Do NC public schools sell them to non-public schools?
       How can I access the State Board of Education textbook adoption listing?
       Must non-public schools utilize public school textbooks?
       Where can instructional materials for teaching blind students be acquired?
Transfers, Student
       Conventional non-public school recognition of student credit from previous schools
       Credit recognition by conventional non-public schools for former home school attendees
       Credit recognition by public schools for former non-public school attendees
       Public school admittance without taking the Public Schools of NC EOG or EOC tests
Tutorial Organizations

State of NC Private School Requirements
Links for Educators
DNPE Home Page

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