1. The State Board shall, by regulation, establish a program pursuant to which a pupil:

(a) Enrolled full-time in public school;

(b) Enrolled in an alternative program pursuant to NRS 388.537;

(c) Enrolled in a program designed to meet the requirements for an adult standard diploma; or

(d) Except as otherwise provided in subsection 4, who has been suspended or expelled from a public school,

may complete any required or elective course by independent study outside of the normal classroom setting. A program of independent study provided pursuant to this section may be offered through a program of distance education pursuant to NRS 388.820 to 388.874, inclusive.

2. The regulations must:

(a) Require that:

(1) The teacher of the course assign to the pupil the work assignments necessary to complete the course; and

(2) For each course in which the pupil is enrolled, the pupil and the teacher of the course meet or otherwise communicate with each other at least once each week for the duration of the course to discuss the pupil’s progress; or

(b) Require that the program of independent study satisfies the requirements of a plan to operate an alternative program of education submitted by the school district and approved pursuant to NRS 388.537.

3. The board of trustees of a school district may, in accordance with the regulations adopted pursuant to subsections 1 and 2, provide for independent study by the pupils described in subsection 1.

4. A program of independent study offered pursuant to this section must not allow a pupil who has been suspended or expelled from a public school to attend that public school during the period of his or her suspension or expulsion.

(Added to NRS by 1997, 1839; A 2001, 3159; 2005, 1539; 2007, 1996)