Conference report makes the following changes to the 5th edition:

Changes the long title.

Amends GS 115C-238.29D(f), providing that a charter school can, without prior approval of the State Board of Education, expand to offer one grade higher or lower (previously, could only expand a higher grade) than the charter school currently offers if the charter school meets specified criteria. Makes a clarifying change. Adds language to the required criteria that a charter school must meet, now requiring that the charter school must have been in operation for less than three years. Makes conforming changes. 

Amends proposed GS 115C-238.29F(b1) to provide that a charter school cannot discriminate against any student on the basis of ethnicity, national origin, gender, or disability (previously, could not discriminate with respect to any category protected under the US Constitution or under federal law applicable to the states).

Amends GS 115C-238.29F(g)(5), substituting the word "sex" for the word"gender" in proposed language that now provides that a charter school whose mission is single-sex education can limit admission on the basis of sex.

Amends proposed GS 115C-238.29F(m), making a clarifying change and providing that inspection of charter school personnel records for those employees directly employed by the board of directors of the charter schools can be subject to the requirements of GS Chapter 115C, Article 21A (previously provided that the inspection of charter school employee personnel records is subject to the requirements of GS 115C, Article 21A). Deletes language that previously provided that information contained in GS 115C-320(a)(1) (names of local board of education employees) is not open to inspection.  Adds language that provides that the charter school and board of directors of the private nonprofit corporation that operates the charter school must use the same schedule established by the Department of Cultural Resources for retention and disposition of records of local school administrative units. 

Amends proposed GS 20-84(b)(3a), concerning permanent registration plates for motor vehicles owned and exclusively operated by a nonprofit corporation that operates a charter school, providing that the motor vehicle can only be used for student transportation and official charter school-related activities.