Are there any building regulations mandating that certain age (or grade level) children be housed on the ground floor or in other areas of the school building?  Yes.  Contact your local government building inspector's office for complete details -- either city or county, depending on the local governmental jurisdiction in which the building is located.  Also, click on "Daycare through Grade 2 Students in Existing Buildings" for additional information.

Are there any NC non-public school laws addressing the administering of medications to NC non-public school students?  No.  NC non-public school laws do not address it and NC non-public schools are exempt from the NC public school laws and policies relating to it.  The Public Schools of NC policy, however, is available for your consideration by clicking on G.S. 115C-375.  This topic is also addressed in the child day care statutes in G.S. 110-102.1A.

Do public school laws and policies regarding special needs children apply to non-public schools enrolling such students?  No.  G.S. 115C-554 and 562 exempt NC non-public schools from all public school laws and policies regarding this issue, since non-public schools unlike all public schools are not financed by federal or state government dollars.  (The non-public education statutes are found in G.S. 115C-547-562).  However, be aware that when a former non-public school special needs student transfers to a public school, all public school laws and policies then apply.  The Division for Exception Children within the NC Department of Public Instruction administers public school requirements and policies relating to its special needs enrollees.

How do NC non-public schools deal with excessive student absence and tardiness issues?  G.S. 115C-554 and 562 exempt NC non-public schools from the student attendance and tardiness requirements of NC's public schools.  However, every NC non-public school must operate on a regular schedule for at least nine calendar months each year and require its students to regularly attend classes.  See G.S. 115C-548 and 556.  Each NC non-public school establishes its own policies and procedures for handling excessive student absence and tardiness situations and usually distributes a published copy of them annually to each school family.  The document specifies the maximum number of days (or times) a student may be absent (or tardy) during any given school year.  The publication should also state what will happen to the student should he/she exceed the maximum number of absences or tardies allowed by the school.  It would usually state that the student may be permanently expelled from the school once the maximum permissible number of days or tardies have been reached.  Once the student has been expelled, the NC non-public school then reports the student expulsion directly to local public school compulsory attendance enforcement officials for their immediate follow-up.  Please note that local compulsory attendance authorities will normally not handle excessive student absence or tardy situations until after the student is no longer enrolled in the NC non-public school.  Pertinent NC public school student compulsory attendance statutes include:  G.S. 115C-378, 379 and 380.  The specific penalty limits for the various classes of misdemeanors are found in G.S. 15A-1340.23.

Is corporal punishment of students permitted in NC non-public schools?  Yes.  NC non-public schools are exempt from all NC public school laws except for those relating to building inspections and student immunizations.  NC's non-public school laws do not address the issue of corporal punishment.  State law allows all local NC public school systems to use corporal punishment if they wish to do so; however, most of them do not exercise it.  DNPE suggests that schools utilizing it follow the public school general guidelines for its use.  You may access them by clicking on G.S. 115C-391.

Is there anything school administrators should know about the use of student social security numbers?  Yes.  See the US Congress Privacy Act of 1974.  The North Carolina General Statutes address the use of social security numbers in G.S. 132-1.10.

Must non-public schools require students to be on campus for a specific time period?  No.  See Calendar/Schedule, School.

What must I know about enrolling foreign students in a NC non-public school?  There are US immigration laws which all NC non-public schools must follow.  These laws have changed dramatically since the Patriot Act was enacted by the US Congress as a result of 9-11.  All schools must now be approved by the Federal government (Immigration & Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security) to accept international (foreign) students.  If the Federal government (US Immigration & Naturalization Service) has certified your school previously to accept international students, that certification is no longer valid, as of August 1, 2003.  Any previously issued Forms I-20 are no longer valid.  Submission of I-17 forms are now required of each school.  To apply for certification or renew a previous certification, please click on US Immigration & Customs Enforcement.  You may also telephone that Federal government agency in Washington, DC for information and assistance at (202) 305-2346.

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