An Administrator's Guide to California Private School Law

T ABLE OF C ONTENTS

2019

C HAPTER 1 - I NTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................................................25 C HAPTER 2 - G OVERNANCE ......................................................................................................................................25 Section 1 Forming A Private School......................................................................................................................25 A. Introduction............................................................................................................................................25 B. Corporate Form ......................................................................................................................................25 1. Public Benefit Nonprofit Corporations........................................................................................26 2. Religious Nonprofit Corporations ...............................................................................................26 C. Tax-Exempt Status .................................................................................................................................27 1. Applying For 501(c)(3) Tax-Exempt Status................................................................................27 2. Tax Exemption Under California Law ........................................................................................27 D. Articles Of Incorporation .......................................................................................................................28 1. Mandatory Provisions..................................................................................................................28 2. Optional Provisions .....................................................................................................................29 3. Amendments To The Articles Of Incorporation..........................................................................30 E. Bylaws....................................................................................................................................................32 1. General Requirements .................................................................................................................33 2. Bylaws Relating To Directors And Management........................................................................33 3. Committees Of The Board...........................................................................................................37 4. Self-Dealing Transactions ...........................................................................................................40 5. Non-Discrimination Statement ....................................................................................................40 6. Prohibition On Partisan Activities ...............................................................................................41 7. Limitations of Liability For Directors And Officers ...................................................................41 8. Recommended Bylaw Provisions................................................................................................44 9. Amendments Of Bylaws..............................................................................................................44 F. Private School Affidavit.........................................................................................................................45 G. Statement of Information .......................................................................................................................46 C HAPTER 3 – H IRING ......................................................................................................................... 46 Section 1 Introduction............................................................................................................................................46 Section 2 Recruiting And Advertising ...................................................................................................................47 A. Applicable Discrimination Laws In Hiring ............................................................................................47 B. Recruiting And Advertising Practices Must Be Nondiscriminatory ......................................................47 C. Update Job Descriptions And Validate Job Requirements.....................................................................48 1. Accurate Job Descriptions Are Critically Important ...................................................................48 2. Hiring Criteria Must Correlate To Actual Job Duties..................................................................48 Section 3 Applications ...........................................................................................................................................49 A. Establish A Uniform Screening Process To Review Applicants............................................................49 B. Prior to Extending a Conditional Offer of Employment, Schools May Only Seek Criminal Conviction History of Applicants Applying for Positions Requiring Contact with Minors...................50 C. Applications May Not Inquire About Certain Matters, Including Arrests Not Resulting In Conviction Or Marijuana Convictions Over Two Years Old.................................................................51 D. Applications May Not Inquire Into Applicant’s Salary History.............................................................52 E. Waivers From Applicants To Obtain Background Information .............................................................53 F. Interviewers Should Review Applications Prior To The Interview .......................................................53 Section 4 Background Checks ...............................................................................................................................54 A. The Purpose Of A Background Check ...................................................................................................54 B. Legal Issues Regarding Background Investigations...............................................................................54 1. Privacy Issues ..............................................................................................................................54 2. Inquiries About An Applicant’s Physical And Mental Conditions..............................................55 3. Inquiries About An Applicant’s Criminal History ......................................................................55

An Administrator’s Guide to California Private School Law ©2019 Liebert Cassidy Whitmore v