Community Partner Expectations
1. Families work with their Suncoast Education Specialist (ES) to request educational products and services that support the student’s learning plan. Requests for products and services from approved Community Partners are submitted through Suncoast’s Purchase Portal for review by the Suncoast Community Partners Team. If a request is approved, Suncoast Preparatory Academy, doing business as Suncoast Charter School (“Suncoast”), will issue a purchase order (PO) directly to the Community Partner. Each individual PO constitutes the contract between Suncoast and the Community Partner for the specific products or services identified in the PO.
2. The Community Partner may not charge a student or the student’s parent or legal guardian any additional fee, deposit, surcharge, remaining balance, or other amount related to the products or services included in the PO. The Community Partner must communicate directly with Suncoast regarding any questions or requested changes involving the approved products, services, pricing, or payment.
3. The Community Partner may provide only the products or services identified in the PO and may not alter the PO after it is issued. The Community Partner must review the PO for accuracy and contact the Suncoast Community Partners Team at vendors@suncoastprep.org regarding any error, discrepancy, or requested change before providing the products or services. Any change must be approved by Suncoast through a revised PO.
4. A Community Partner must receive a PO before delivering products or providing services. Suncoast will not pay for any products delivered or services provided before the PO is issued.
5. After the authorized products have been delivered or services have been provided, the Community Partner must submit a detailed invoice through the Purchase Portal or by email to invoices@suncoastprep.org. Each invoice must include a unique invoice number and the corresponding Suncoast PO number.
6. Suncoast generally processes payment within 30 to 45 days after receiving a complete and accurate invoice, but payment may take up to 60 days depending on the timing of state funding disbursements. Payments are issued by check through USPS or by ACH deposit for Community Partners that complete Suncoast’s required ACH enrollment process. Mailed checks may require additional time for postal delivery.
7. Community Partner pricing must reflect reasonable market value for the products or services offered. Community Partners must provide Suncoast with access to current standard pricing through their public website or submit a current brochure, price list, or other supporting documentation for review.
8. Community Partners must maintain complete and accurate records relating to the products or services provided under each Suncoast purchase order, including invoices and documentation reasonably necessary to verify the products delivered, services provided, pricing, and implementation of the purchase order. Upon reasonable request, the Community Partner must promptly provide relevant records and information to Suncoast or the Orange County Department of Education (OCDE), subject to applicable student privacy, confidentiality, and records laws. Community Partners must cooperate with reasonable inquiries from Suncoast or OCDE concerning products or services provided to Suncoast students.
9. Each purchase order is issued solely by Suncoast Preparatory Academy, doing business as Suncoast Charter School. All payment and other obligations arising from a purchase order are solely the responsibility of Suncoast and are not obligations of the Orange County Board of Education, the Orange County Superintendent of Schools, or the Orange County Department of Education. A Community Partner may not represent that it is contracting with, acting on behalf of, or extending credit to any of those entities.
10. All Community Partner owners, board members, employees, volunteers, subcontractors, agents, and other representatives who interact with Suncoast students, online or in person, must have the required criminal-record clearance before providing services. When permitted by law, Suncoast may instead require a signed parent consent form for services provided under the parent’s immediate supervision. Community Partners must provide all required verification to Suncoast and promptly report any subsequent information required by law.
11. Mandated Reporter Training. Community Partner personnel whose duties require contact with or supervision of Suncoast students are mandated reporters and must annually complete the required mandated reporter and child-abuse prevention training. Community Partners must retain training completion certificates, provide them upon request to Suncoast, OCDE, or another authorized governmental agency, and submit Suncoast’s annual affidavit confirming compliance. Newly added personnel must complete the required training before interacting with Suncoast students.
12. Community Partners must provide Suncoast with a copy of their current business license or business certificate. If one is not required by the applicable jurisdiction, the Community Partner must provide a written explanation identifying the jurisdiction and include either a citation to the applicable law or ordinance or a link to an official government website confirming that a license or certificate is not required.
13. Community Partner Service Providers must maintain, at their own expense and throughout their approval period:
(a) Commercial General Liability insurance with limits of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 general aggregate; and
Please note: As you prepare for future renewals, we also wanted to provide advance notice of an important change. Beginning with the 2027–2028 school year, the contractor requirements established under AB 126 will be fully implemented. As part of those requirements, Suncoast will be adopting updated contractor approval policies, including insurance requirements appropriate to the services provided.
Based on guidance from our legal counsel, Community Partners who provide live interaction with students will most likely be required to maintain Sexual Abuse and Molestation (SAM) Liability Coverage as part of those updated insurance requirements.
(b) Optional for 26-27 school year: Sexual Abuse and Molestation Liability coverage with a limit of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence, either included in the Commercial General Liability policy without exclusion or provided under a separate policy. The Community Partner must provide written confirmation that this coverage is not excluded or sublimited below $1,000,000.
14. Suncoast Preparatory Academy, a California nonprofit corporation doing business as Suncoast Charter School; the Orange County Board of Education; the Orange County Superintendent of Schools; the Orange County Department of Education; and their respective board members, officers, directors, officials, employees, and agents must be named as Additional Insureds on the Community Partner’s Commercial General Liability policy by policy endorsement. A Certificate of Insurance alone, without an accompanying Additional Insured endorsement, does not satisfy this requirement.
15. The Community Partner’s insurance carrier must waive all rights of subrogation against Suncoast Preparatory Academy, doing business as Suncoast Charter School; the Orange County Board of Education; the Orange County Superintendent of Schools; the Orange County Department of Education; and their respective board members, officers, directors, officials, employees, and agents.
16. The Community Partner agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Suncoast Preparatory Academy, doing business as Suncoast Charter School; the Orange County Board of Education; the Orange County Superintendent of Schools; the Orange County Department of Education; and their respective board members, officers, directors, officials, employees, and agents from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, arising out of or resulting from the negligent acts, errors, or omissions of the Community Partner, its employees, subcontractors, or agents in connection with products or services provided under a Suncoast purchase order.
17. Proof and Maintenance of Coverage. Before providing services, Community Partner Service Providers must submit a current Certificate of Insurance and the Additional Insured endorsement required above. Updated documents must be submitted through the Purchase Portal or emailed to vendors@suncoastprep.org before existing coverage expires. Services may not be provided during any lapse in coverage.
18. Suncoast reserves the right to conduct an in-person or virtual site visit at any time during a Community Partner’s approval period to verify that services are being provided in accordance with the applicable purchase order and Suncoast policies. Community Partners must cooperate with site visits and provide reasonable access to the location or virtual setting where services are provided.
19. Community Partners and their employees, subcontractors, and agents are independent from and shall not be considered officers, employees, representatives, or agents of Suncoast, the Orange County Board of Education, the Orange County Superintendent of Schools, or the Orange County Department of Education.
20. Community Partners must accurately represent their organizational status and any accreditation they hold. Community Partner approval does not authorize a provider to represent itself as a K–12 school, enroll Suncoast students in a separate school program, issue school credit or diplomas, or act on behalf of Suncoast. A provider accredited by WASC as a Supplementary Education Program may accurately state that accreditation but may not represent it as accreditation of a K–12 school. Misrepresentation may result in removal from the approved Community Partner list.
21. Community Partners must provide evidence of the qualifications, licenses, certifications, and experience applicable to the products or services they offer and must promptly notify Suncoast of any material change.
22. Suncoast cannot authorize or use public funds to purchase religious or sectarian products or services or products or services that do not comply with applicable state and federal nondiscrimination laws. Community Partners must provide sufficient information or documentation demonstrating that the products and services offered to Suncoast students satisfy these requirements.
23. Suncoast employees may not receive payment for providing Community Partner services to any Suncoast student, whether through their own business or through another business that employs or compensates them.
24. Community Partners may not invoice Suncoast for services provided to a child of the Community Partner’s owner or any of its employees. Suncoast will not enter into a purchase order with a student or the student’s parent, legal guardian, or relative for services provided exclusively to that student, except for school-related transportation permitted by law.
25. Community Partners and their owners, employees, subcontractors, agents, and other representatives may not advise Suncoast students or families to pursue particular special education services or approaches or advocate for changes to a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). Discussions and decisions regarding special education services or changes to an IEP must occur through the student’s designated IEP team.
26. The Community Partner’s services and any recommendations provided must not interfere with, override, or supplant the authority of the student’s Suncoast Education Specialist The Community Partner may not make determinations regarding instructional decisions, grading, student placement, or special education services; all such determinations remain the sole responsibility of Suncoast and the Education Specialist The Community Partner acknowledges that all services provided under a PO are supplemental and that any curriculum resources offered are suggestive and not required.
27. Community Partners and their owners, employees, subcontractors, agents, and representatives must communicate and conduct themselves respectfully and professionally in all interactions with Suncoast students, families, staff, and other Community Partners. Harassment, intimidation, discrimination, retaliation, threatening or abusive communication, disruptive conduct, or knowingly false or misleading statements are prohibited. Concerns involving Suncoast must be directed to the Suncoast Community Partners Team and handled professionally without involving students or families in business or payment disputes. Conduct that compromises student safety, disrupts school operations, or damages the trust necessary for the Community Partner relationship may result in suspension or removal from the approved Community Partner list.
28. The Community Partner may not use Suncoast’s name, insignia, mark, or logo for any purpose, including advertising, client lists, or references, without Suncoast’s advance written authorization.
29. The Community Partner must report to the Suncoast Community Partners Team any complaint made by a Suncoast student, parent, guardian, or education rights holder within three (3) days of the complaint being made, if the complaint relates to services provided and paid for by Suncoast.
30. Community Partners and their personnel must follow Suncoast’s Professional Boundaries Policy. They may not communicate privately with students through personal social media, text messaging, or other communication methods that exclude the student’s parent or legal guardian, except through a communication method expressly authorized by Suncoast.
31. Community Partners must direct all questions or concerns regarding purchase orders, invoices, payments, or Suncoast-funded services to the Suncoast Community Partners Team before contacting a student or family about the matter. Community Partners may not seek payment from a student or family for products or services authorized through a Suncoast PO.
32. Failure to follow the Suncoast Community Partner Requirements and Procedures may result in suspension or removal from the approved Community Partner list at any time. Suspension or removal ends the Community Partner’s eligibility to receive new purchase orders and may result in the cancellation or termination of active purchase orders in accordance with their terms.
33. Community Partners must comply with all applicable federal and state laws and all Suncoast policies and requirements applicable to the products or services provided.