79-703. Public schools; approval and accreditation standards; accreditation committee; duties; legislative intent.

(1) To ensure both equality of opportunity and quality of programs offered, all public schools in the state shall be required to meet quality and performance-based approval or accreditation standards as prescribed by the State Board of Education. The board shall establish a core curriculum standard, which shall include multicultural education and vocational education courses, for all public schools in the state. Accreditation and approval standards shall be designed to assure effective schooling and quality of instructional programs regardless of school size, wealth, or geographic location. Accreditation standards for school districts that are members of a learning community shall include participation in the community achievement plan for the learning community as approved by the board. The board shall recognize and encourage the maximum use of cooperative programs and may provide for approval or accreditation of programs on a cooperative basis, including the sharing of administrative and instructional staff, between school districts for the purpose of meeting the approval and accreditation requirements established pursuant to this section and section 79-318.

(2) The Commissioner of Education shall appoint an accreditation committee which shall be representative of the educational institutions and agencies of the state and shall include as a member the director of admissions of the University of Nebraska.

(3) The accreditation committee shall be responsible for: (a) Recommending appropriate standards and policies with respect to the accreditation and classification of schools; and (b) making recommendations annually to the commissioner relative to the accreditation and classification of individual schools. No school shall be considered for accreditation status which has not first fulfilled all requirements for an approved school.

(4) By school year 1993-94 all public schools in the state shall be accredited.

(5) It is the intent of the Legislature that all public school students shall have access to all educational services required of accredited schools. Such services may be provided through cooperative programs or alternative methods of delivery.

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Annotations

Constitutionality of this section was not passed upon because not raised in district court. Ebberson v. School Dist. No. 64 of Cedar County, 180 Neb. 119, 141 N.W.2d 452 (1966).

The purpose of accreditation is to maintain adequate school programs and to provide better instructional opportunities. Pribil v. French, 179 Neb. 602, 139 N.W.2d 356 (1966).

This section did not go beyond protecting the interests of the state in education. De Jonge v. School Dist. of Bloomington, 179 Neb. 539, 139 N.W.2d 296 (1966); Meyerkorth v. State, 173 Neb. 889, 115 N.W.2d 585 (1962).

Accreditation and approval are two separate and entirely different duties. School Dist. No. 39 of Washington County v. Decker, 159 Neb. 693, 68 N.W.2d 354 (1955).