1. The board of trustees of a school district may apply to the Department for authorization to sponsor charter schools within the school district in accordance with the regulations adopted by the Department pursuant to NRS 388A.105 or 388A.110. An application must be approved by the Department before the board of trustees may sponsor a charter school. Not more than 180 days after receiving approval to sponsor charter schools, the board of trustees shall provide public notice of its ability to sponsor charter schools and solicit applications for charter schools.

2. The State Public Charter School Authority shall sponsor charter schools whose applications have been approved by the State Public Charter School Authority pursuant to NRS 388A.255. Except as otherwise provided by specific statute, if the State Public Charter School Authority sponsors a charter school, the State Public Charter School Authority is responsible for the evaluation, monitoring and oversight of the charter school.

3. A college or university within the Nevada System of Higher Education may submit an application to the Department to sponsor charter schools in accordance with the regulations adopted by the Department pursuant to NRS 388A.105 or 388A.110. An application must be approved by the Department before a college or university within the Nevada System of Higher Education may sponsor charter schools.

4. The board of trustees of a school district or a college or university within the Nevada System of Higher Education may enter into an agreement with the State Public Charter School Authority to provide technical assistance and support in preparing an application to sponsor a charter school and planning and executing the duties of a sponsor of a charter school as prescribed in this section.

5. Before a board of trustees of a school district or a college or university within the Nevada System of Higher Education that is approved to sponsor charter schools approves an application to form a charter school, the board of trustees or college or university, as applicable, shall prepare, in collaboration with the Department and, to the extent practicable, the school district in which the proposed charter school will be located and any other sponsor of a charter school located in that school district, an evaluation of demographic information of pupils, the academic needs of pupils and the needs of any pupils who are at risk of dropping out of school in the geographic areas served by the sponsor.

6. On or before January 31 of each year, the State Public Charter School Authority shall prepare, in collaboration with the Department and, to the extent practicable, the board of trustees of each school district in this State and any other sponsor of a charter school in this State, an evaluation of demographic information of pupils, the academic needs of pupils and the needs of any pupils who are at risk of dropping out of school in this State.

(Added to NRS by 1997, 1844; A 2001, 3125; 2005, 2398; 2007, 2567; 2011, 2358; 2013, 1662, 2908; 2015, 2460, 3261, 3263; 2019, 2301) — (Substituted in revision for part of NRS 386.515)