AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- SHEILA C. "SKIP" NOWELL ACADEMY

This bill restructures the Sheila C. "Skip" Nowell Academy by converting it from an independent charter school into a public school and local educational agency. The new structure allows the academy to operate under a cooperative agreement where the state and students' home school districts share the costs of education. It establishes a Board of Trustees appointed by the state Council on Elementary and Secondary Education to govern the school, which will focus on supporting at-risk students, including pregnant and parenting teens, and recent immigrants. The legislation ensures that all students attending the academy retain the same legal rights as those in other public schools while providing a rigorous, project-based curriculum.