Wash. Admin. Code § 180-90-160 - Minimum standards and certificate form

(1) The annual certificate of compliance required by WAC 180-90-130 shall be submitted to the state board of education and signed by the school or district administrator certifying compliance by the school or district. The certificate of compliance form and the submittal process will be determined by the state board of education. Information about annual private school approval and the submittal process will be posted on the state board of education website. The certificate of compliance affirms the school meets the requirements, standards, or legal obligations that private schools are subject to, including those enumerated in this chapter or in chapter 28A.195 RCW and the following standards with the exception only of such deviations or proposed deviations, if any, as are set forth in an attachment to the certificate of compliance:

(a) Except as provided in chapter 180-111 WAC, the minimum school year for instructional purposes consists of no less than 180 school days or the equivalent in annual minimum instructional hour offerings as prescribed in RCW 28A.195.010.

(b) On each school day, pupils enrolled and in attendance at the school are engaged in educational activity planned by and under the direction of the school; and that pupils are provided an annual total instructional hour offering, as prescribed in RCW 28A.195.010, of at least:

(i) Four hundred fifty hours for students in kindergarten.

(ii) One thousand hours for students in grades one through 12.

(c) All classroom teachers hold appropriate Washington State certification except for:

(i) Teachers for religious courses or courses for which no counterpart exists in the public schools: Provided, That a religious course is a course of study separate from the courses of study defined in RCW 28A.195.010 including occupational education, science, mathematics, language, social studies, history, health, reading, writing, spelling, and the development of the appreciation of art and music all in sufficient units for meeting state board of education graduation requirements, except as provided in chapter 180-111 WAC; and/or

(ii) A person of unusual competence who is not certified but who will teach students in an exceptional case under the general supervision of a Washington state certificated teacher, administrator, or superintendent pursuant to WAC 180-90-112. The non-Washington state certificated teacher, the Washington state certificated person who will supervise, and the exceptional circumstances are listed on the addendum to this certificate.

(d) If the school operates an extension program for parents, guardians, or persons having legal custody of a child to teach children in their custody, the extension program meets the following requirements:

(i) The parent, guardian, or custodian is supervised by a person certified under chapter 28A.410 RCW and who is employed by the school;

(ii) The planning by the certified person and the parent, guardian, or person having legal custody includes objectives consistent with (a), (b), (e) through (g) of this subsection;

(iii) The certified person spends a minimum average each month of one contact hour per week with each student under his or her supervision who is enrolled in the extension program;

(iv) Each student's progress is evaluated by the certified person; and

(v) The certified person does not supervise more than 30 students enrolled in the approved private school's extension program.

(e) Measures have been taken to safeguard all permanent records against loss or damage through either the storage of such records in fire-resistant containers or facilities, or the retention of duplicates in a separate and distinct area;

(f) The physical facilities of the school are adequate to meet the program offered, and all school facilities and practices are in compliance with all reasonable health requirements and all reasonable fire safety requirements, as defined in WAC 180-90-112, and substantiated as required by current inspection reports of appropriate health and fire safety officials which are on file in the school or district administrator's office;

(g) The school's curriculum includes instruction in the basic skills of occupational education, science, mathematics, language, social studies, history, health, reading, writing, spelling, and the development of appreciation of art and music in sufficient units for meeting state board of education graduation requirements, as set forth in chapter 180-51 WAC. A school may substitute courses specific to the mission or focus of the school to satisfy the career and technical education requirement of chapter 180-51 WAC and may waive requirements as provided in chapter 180-111 WAC;

(h) The school or its organized district maintains up-to-date policy statements related to the administration and operation of the school or district;

(i) The school does not engage in a policy of racial segregation or discrimination;

(j) The governing authority of this private school or private school district has been apprised of the requirements of chapter 180-90 WAC relating to the minimum requirements for approval of private schools and such governing authority has further been apprised of all deviations or proposed deviations from the rules and regulations of the state board of education and the standards contained in chapter 180-90 WAC.

(2) Approval by the state board of education is contingent upon on-going compliance with the requirements, standards, and legal obligations that private schools are subject to, including those enumerated in this chapter or in chapter 28A.195 RCW and the standards herein. The school shall notify the state board of education of any deviation from these requirements, standards, or legal obligations that occurs after the approval action taken by the state board of education. Such notification shall be filed within 30 days of occurrence of the deviation.

(3) Failure to comply with the requirements of this chapter may result in the rescission or suspension of the approval of the private school and shall be considered in subsequent application for approval as a private school.

(4) The board may provide a shortened approval form or expedited approval process for private schools accredited by a state board of education-approved accrediting body.

Notes

Wash. Admin. Code § 180-90-160

Amended by WSR 14-19-032, Filed 9/8/2014, effective 10/9/2014 Amended by WSR 15-24-108, Filed 12/1/2015, effective 1/1/2016 Amended by WSR 18-24-090, Filed 12/3/2018, effective 1/3/2019 Amended by WSR 21-01-077, Filed 12/10/2020, effective 1/10/2021 Amended by WSR 22-07-048, Filed 3/14/2022, effective 4/14/2022

Statutory Authority: RCW 28A.195.040. 03-04-053, § 180-90-160, filed 1/29/03, effective 3/1/03. Statutory Authority: RCW 28A.305.130(6), 28A.195.040 and 1996 c 83. 96-15-099, § 180-90-160, filed 7/22/96, effective 8/22/96. Statutory Authority: 1990 c 33. 90-17-009, § 180-90-160, filed 8/6/90, effective 9/6/90. Statutory Authority: RCW 28A.02.240. 89-01-038 (Order 23-88), § 180-90-160, filed 12/14/88; 87-09-039 (Order 7-87), § 180-90-160, filed 4/14/87. Statutory Authority: RCW 28A.02.240. 85-24-056 (Order 23-85), § 180-90-160, filed 12/2/85. Statutory Authority: RCW 28A.04.120(4). 82-04-004 (Order 3-82), § 180-90-160, filed 1/21/82. Statutory Authority: RCW 28A.02.201 et seq. and 28A.04.120(4). 78-06-064 (Order 9-78), § 180-90-160, filed 5/25/78; Order 2-77, § 180-90-160, filed 3/24/77; Order 1-76, § 180-90-160, filed 2/3/76; Order 1-75, § 180-90-160, filed 2/4/75.