Model Policy: The Academic Transparency Act

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The Academic Transparency Act requires public schools to publicize transparently every category of document relating to schools’ expenditures and procedures.

1 Consequences for noncompliance with this law should be determined by each state.

MODEL LEGISLATIVE TEXT

Section A

1. Each public school and charter school shall make available to the public on the institution’s Internet website all expenditures, vendors, contracts, monthly expenditures, strategic plans, Board meeting agendas and minutes, regulations, guidelines, training materials, learning materials, course syllabi, a general description of the subject matter of each class, books and articles required or recommended, course assessments, and course assignments.

2. Each public school and charter school shall make available to the public on the institution’s Internet website all information listed in Subsection (1) no later than the seventh day after the document is produced.

3. Each public school and charter school shall update the information required by Subsection (1) as soon as practicable after the information changes.

4. Each public school shall retain the required information on the website for a minimum of two years from date of posting.

5. Each public school and charter school shall designate an administrator to be responsible for ensuring the implementation of this section. The administrator may assign duties under this section to one or more administrative employees.

6. Not later than January 1 of each odd-numbered year, the district will deliver a statement of compliance with this section to the state department of education and to the legislature.

Section B

The information required by Section (A) must be:

1. accessible from the institution’s Internet website home page by use of not more than three links;

2. searchable by keywords and phrases; and

3. accessible to the public without requiring registration or use of a user name, a password, or another user identification.

Section C

1. Neither [State Board of Education] nor any public school or charter school shall contract with any vendor for proprietary materials that are prohibited from public review.

2. Neither [State Board of Education] nor any public school or charter school shall use proprietary materials that are protected from public review.

Section D

If any provision of this chapter, or the application of any provision to any person or circumstance, is held to be invalid, the remainder of this chapter and the application of its provisions to any other person or circumstance shall not be affected thereby.