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Charter School Life Stages

Charter schools are authorized for a specific amount of time. After this period, they must go through a renewal process that may or may not result in their continued existence. Although most issues related to special education cross over different periods in the development and implementation of a charter school, some are particularly pertinent to a specific stage in the life of a school. We have divided the life span of a charter school into five developmental periods progressing from the time before the school is authorized through implementation and its renewal or closing.

Select a life stage below to see Primer content relevant to that time in a charter school's development:

• Pre-Authorization - special education issues from the beginning of planning to the granting of a charter;
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• Preparing for Start-Up - the time between the granting of a charter and the first day of the school's operation;
  
  
• Operating a Charter School - the entire time the school is open and students are attending;
  
  
• Oversight, Accountability and Renewal - special education aspects of oversight by authorizers and state officials, accountabiity and reporting by school officials and the process of renewal of a charter;
  
  
• Non-Renewal, Revocation and Relinquishment - the discontinuation of a charter school by internal or external agents.