(a) “Applicant” means any person or group that develops and submits an application for a charter school to the authorizer.

(b) “Application” means a proposal from an applicant to the authorizer to enter into a charter contract whereby the proposed school obtains charter school status.

(c) “Authorizer” means the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board established under Section 37-28-7 to review applications, decide whether to approve or reject applications, enter into charter contracts with applicants, oversee charter schools, and decide whether to renew, not renew, or revoke charter contracts.

(d) “Charter contract” means a fixed-term, renewable contract between a charter school and the authorizer which outlines the roles, powers, responsibilities and performance expectations for each party to the contract.

(e) “Charter school” means a public school that is established and operating under the terms of charter contract between the school’s governing board and the authorizer. The term “charter school” includes a conversion charter school and start-up charter school.

(f) “Conversion charter school” means a charter school that existed as a noncharter public school before becoming a charter school.

(g) “Education service provider” means a charter management organization, school design provider or any other partner entity with which a charter school intends to contract for educational design, implementation or comprehensive management.

(h) “Governing board” means the independent board of a charter school which is party to the charter contract with the authorizer and whose members have been elected or selected pursuant to the school’s application.

(i) “Noncharter public school” means a public school that is under the direct management, governance and control of a school board or the state.

(j) “Parent” means a parent, guardian or other person or entity having legal custody of a child.

(k) “School board” means a school board exercising management and control over a local school district and the schools of that district pursuant to the State Constitution and state statutes.

(l) “School district” means a governmental entity that establishes and supervises one or more public schools within its geographical limits pursuant to state statutes.

(m) “Start-up charter school” means a charter school that did not exist as a noncharter public school before becoming a charter school.

(n) “Student” means any child who is eligible for attendance in a public school in the state.

(o) “Underserved students” means students participating in the federal free lunch program who qualify for at-risk student funding under the Mississippi Adequate Education Program and students who are identified as having special educational needs.