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The State Board of Education met for their monthly meeting to discuss, among other items, Hurricane Helene relief and SBE’s new temporary rule for student-athletes as a result of the recent NIL ruling. To view the full November agenda, click here. To learn about specific items that may impact or be of interest to local school boards, please read on.
APPROVED Federal Accountability Waiver – Hurricane Helene: DPI will submit a request to the US Department of Education on behalf of certain disaster-impacted PSUs to waive some of the federal requirements specified in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). These waiver requests extend to achievement scores associated with end-of-course (EOC) tests (NC Math 1, NC Math 3, English II, biology), as well as overall participation requirements. The request notes that the validity of the measures will be compromised as a result of reduced instructional time, and in waiving these requirements, schools will be able to focus on returning students to instruction without the pressure of performing well on EOCs used for accountability purposes. To view the waiver request, click here. To read the NCDPI press release, click here.
APPROVED (SBE Policy Amendment) Read to Achieve Program – Hurricane Helene: Considering the impacts of Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina, any public school unit (PSU) located in a FEMA-designated major disaster area may offer mid-year promotion to students that have demonstrated reading proficiency on the Read to Achieve assessment by the extended deadline of January 15, 2025. This policy will only apply to the 2024-2025 school year. View the policy change here.
APPROVED (SBE Policy Amendment) Academic Credit for Work-Based Learning – Hurricane Helene: For the 2024-2025 school year only, DPI will allow students enrolled in a CTE work-based learning course to put county recovery and disaster relief service hours towards class credit. Click here to view the policy amendment.
APPROVED Contracts Over $500,000: Eileen Townsend, Chief of Insurance in the District Operations Division at NCDPI, gave an update on Hurricane Helene damage claims for those counties insured under the state property fund (not including those privately insured). Current structural damage costs for these covered districts are around $80 million, but estimates will continue to be assessed. She also provided an update on the two-year extension of the state contract for workers’ compensation claims management. Additionally, Alex Charles, Director in the Office of Federal Programs at NCDPI, requested over $800,000 for the 2025 Homeless Education Support contract to continue to serve students experiencing homelessness, of which there are over 30,000 in the state, through the 2024-25 school year.
APPROVED (SBE Policy Amendment) NC Public Schools Allotment Policy Manual – Hurricane Helene Relief: The Allotment Policy Manual was adjusted to reflect additional policy resulting from Hurricane Helene, as well as technical correction to the Teacher Assistant Reimbursement Program. Click here to view the changes.
APPROVED (SBE Policy Amendment) Policies, Laws, and Guidelines Governing School Attendance – Hurricane Helene Relief: Changes to the School Attendance and Student Accounting Manual reflect new legislation related to Hurricane Helene, and also include a paragraph that clarifies counting Pre-K students towards principal salary. Pre-K students enrolled in a Pre-K classroom at a public school with a “school number of 300 or greater” are shown on the Principal’s Monthly Report for calculating the principal’s salary. They are not added to the school’s ADM totals for funding purposes. Click here to view the full manual with changes.
DISCUSSION Superintendent’s Report: Superintendent Truitt rounded out the conversation on Hurricane Helene, noting that while the legislature has already provided $50 million for school repairs and renovations, DPI is still working and waiting to find out what funds will be covered by federal sources so that they can accurately request more from the state to fill the gaps. Additionally, Superintendent Truitt noted that statewide support from mental health professionals for impacted students and families has been extraordinary thus far and will continue.
Superintendent Truitt also covered a recent event at the Friday Institute, titled “Real Issues, Real Data,” on the problem of cellphone use in school. The event received bipartisan support and interest from Senators Jay Chaudhuri (D-Wake) and Jim Burgin (R-Harnett). The conversation surrounding cellphone regulation will continue before any statewide action is made, and while certain districts have begun their own efforts to curb cellphone use and distraction, the SBE has yet to decide what their role is.
APPROVED (Rules Update) Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) – Proposed New Temporary Rule: Effective July 1, 2024, the SBE enacted temporary rules for interscholastic athletics for the 2024-2025 school year which prohibited public school student-athletes from entering any agreement for the commercial use of their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). On September 5, 2024, the SBE proposed a permanent rule that would allow NIL deals, subject to certain rules and restrictions, starting with the 2025-2026 school year. On October 14, 2024, Wake County Superior Court Judge Graham Shirley signed a written order prohibiting the SBE from enforcing the temporary rule that bans NIL agreements and making the proposed permanent rule effective until a new rule could be enacted. The North Carolina Administrative Procedure Act allows the SBE to adopt a temporary rule in response to this recent court order. Click here to learn more about the temporary rule the SBE adopted at the meeting this week. Click here to read this temporary rule. The timeline for the rulemaking process moving forward is currently as follows (changes may result from the public comment period):
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- SBE Proposes Temporary Rule: Nov. 7, 2024
- Public Comment Period: Nov. 15 – Dec. 10, 2024
- Public Hearing (Virtual): Dec. 6, 2024 @ 9 am
- SBE Adopts Temporary Rule: Jan. 9, 2025
- Temporary Rule Effective Date: Feb. 13, 2025
APPROVED (Report to the NC General Assembly) Low-Performing Districts and Schools, Improvement Planning, and Statewide Support: After much conversation, the report was approved (Vice Chair Alan Duncan was the only dissenting vote), contingent on adding “interim” to the title and noting that more information is forthcoming. The SBE will revisit this item during their working session in December to expand the report and potentially provide recommendations. See the report here and the presentation here. The conversation concluded by noting this is just one report and they will continue to have dialogue about what is needed and who should be involved.
APPROVED (Report to the NC General Assembly) Public School Unit Report – Parent’s Guide to Student Achievement: PSUs are legislatively required to report certain information regarding parent communication, policies, and rights to the SBE in order to address needs in the SBE “Parent’s Guide to Student Achievement” policy. See the full report here. Based on the data submitted by PSUs, the following results were shared:
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- 98.4% of all PSUs assert that they are in compliance with Article 7B of Chapter 115C.
- 114/115 LEAs; 197/201 Other PSUs.
- 98% of all PSUs had zero appeals.
- 114 LEAs had zero appeals; 195 Other PSUs had zero appeals
- 94% of all PSUs provided no statements to parents.
- 98% of PSUs had no parental hearings.
- 99% had no actions brought against the PSU.
- More than 99% of all PSUs had no declaratory judgments entered against the PSU.
APPROVED (SBE Policy Amendment) Adjunct Instructors in NC Public Schools: Amends the policy related to eligible adjunct professors in NC public schools to extend beyond CTE courses to all core academic subjects, fine and performing arts, and foreign languages. Adjunct instructors (not in CTE) may not contract with local boards of education for exceptional children’s services unless licensed by the SBE and may only contract with local boards of education to teach subjects for which they are approved to teach at the employing institution of higher education (IHE). View the policy changes here.
DISCUSSION (SBE Policy Amendment) Identification of English Learners and Exit Criteria: Feedback from English language educators in North Carolina led to a review of the current exit criteria, as well as the entrance criteria and the process for screening students when they enroll in a new school. The changes include a new standardized and statewide process to identify multilingual learners (ML) and households, in place of the current individually-developed Home Language Survey (HLS) forms offered by each PSU. For all changes to the policy, click here. To view the full presentation, click here.
DISCUSSION Excellent Public Schools Act Beginning of Year (BOY) Data Update: The Office of Early Learning presented the Excellent Public Schools Act Beginning of Year (BOY) data from the NC Statewide Formative Diagnostic Reading Screener administered to all eligible NC K-3 students. Grade levels and cohorts are making progress alike, and the number of students designated as “reading retained” has continued to decrease. To view the full presentation, click here. To read the NCDPI press release, click here.
The State Board of Education will meet next from December 3-5 for a planning and work session. |
