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Chairs: Representatives Tricia Cotham (R-Mecklenburg), David Willis (R-Union), and Brian Biggs (R-Randolph)
Vice Chairs: Representatives Hugh Blackwell (R-Burke), Cecil Brockman (D-Guilford), Heather Rhyne (R-Lincoln), and Diane Wheatley (R-Cumberland)
Members: Representatives Jennifer Balkcom (R-Henderson), Cynthia Ball (D-Wake), Gloristine Brown (D-Pitt), Laura Budd (D-Mecklenburg), Aisha Dew (D-Mecklenburg), Julia Greenfield (D-Mecklenburg), Frank Iler (R-Brunswick), Jake Johnson (R-Polk), Donny Lambeth (R-Forsyth), Brandon Lofton (D-Mecklenburg), Marcia Morey (D-Durham), Larry Potts (R-Davidson), Dennis Riddell (R-Alamance), Mike Schietzelt (R-Wake), Phil Shepard (R-Onslow), John Torbett (R-Gaston), and Julie von Haefen (D-Wake)
Chairs: Representatives David Willis (R-Union), Brian Biggs (R-Randolph), and Tricia Cotham (R-Mecklenburg)
Vice Chair: Representative Hugh Blackwell (R-Burke)
Members: Representatives Cynthia Ball (D-Wake), Cecil Brockman (D-Guilford), Wyatt Gable (R-Onslow), Zack Hawkins (D-Durham), Monika Johnson-Hostler (D-Wake), Ray Pickett (R-Watauga), and Lindsey Prather (D-Buncombe)
To view the chairs and membership for all House committees, click here.
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House Speaker Destin Hall (R-Caldwell) also put out a 6-month calendar for his chamber (view here) in an effort to provide scheduling transparency for members.
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Don’t forget these important approaching deadlines if you’re looking to get a local bill filed for your district on a specific issue, such as school calendar, by your legislator(s):
- Senators must submit local bills to legislative staff by Thursday, February 13, 2025. They must be filed by February 27, 2025.
- House members must submit local bills to legislative staff by Thursday, February 20, 2025. They must be introduced by March 6, 2025.
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| As we mentioned last week, the Senate Education/Higher Education Chairs are Senators Kevin Corbin (R-Macon), Michael Lee (R-New Hanover), and Brad Overcash (R-Gaston). The Appropriations on Education/Higher Education Chairs are Senators Kevin Corbin (R-Macon), Paul Newton (R-Cabarrus), and Brad Overcash (R-Gaston). To revisit the full list of Senators on those committees and any other committees you’re interested in, click here.
There was also sad news out of the House this week. Members of both parties bid farewell to the late Representative Joe John (D-Wake) and welcomed Phil Rubin (D-Wake), a former federal prosecutor, to fill his seat. To read the resolution in Rep. John’s honor, click here.
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| Executive orders (EOs) coming out of Washington this week have caused much confusion and many questions at the state-level related to immigration enforcement in schools, federal funding, and education reform. To read about the federal grants freeze directive, and the subsequent rescinding of the order, click here. To learn about active directives, read on: |
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Last week, the federal Department of Homeland Security rescinded guidance that had previously restricted federal immigration enforcement actions in protected areas, including schools. In response, State Superintendent Mo Green released a document on Wednesday designed to provide information to local school officials and their attorneys regarding state and federal legal requirements related to immigrant students and families. This document is available here.
We encourage board members to review the information provided by the State Superintendent and to consult with school system administrators and legal counsel to determine whether any local policies, plans, or protocols should be developed or modified as result of the change to federal immigration enforcement guidance.
Suggested Policy Review: Boards are encouraged to review policy 5120, Relationship with Law Enforcement, along with any procedures developed by the superintendent regarding school contacts with law enforcement agencies.
Additional Policies for Consideration: Other relevant policies for the board to review may include the following:
- Policy 5020, Visitors to the Schools
- Policy 4100, Age Requirements for Initial Entry (permitting the use of birth certificates or other proof of age documents only for the purpose of establishing the age of the child and not for inquiring about the citizenship or immigration status of the child, parent, or guardian)
- Policy 4700, Student Records (describing the circumstances in which different types of student information may be released)
- Policy 4705/7825, Confidentiality of Personal Identifying Information, and its accompanying regulation
- Policy 4210, Release of Students from School
- Policy 1510/4200/7270, School Safety
- Policy 4003, Translating Policies for Students and Parents
- Policy 4125, Homeless Students.
If you would like additional resources, please feel free to contact Madison Gaulden (mgaulden@ncsba.org).
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| President Trump also issued EOs on Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling and Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families. The former focuses mainly on race, gender and American history, and threatens to pull federal funding from schools that teach concepts like structural racism, white privilege, and unconscious bias. The latter order directs federal agencies to explore options for expanding access to private school vouchers. According to the Consortium of State School Boards Associations (COSSBA), it remains unclear what long-term impact the new EOs might have, especially considering that states and local districts provide a large majority of the funding for public education and set their own curriculum and school-choice policy. COSSBA reports that the initial impact of these EOs will be negligible given that the largest sources of federal funds to K-12 public schools involve Title 1 and Special Education funding (both of which require approval from Congress to change). While cuts to existing federal funds for public education remain logistically unlikely, the Consortium believes the passage of legislation aimed at providing tax cuts for charitable donations that help cover expenses for K-12 private schools is far more likely. To learn more from K-12 Dive, click here. |
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| Statewide House Bills Filed:
HB 2: Entry Fees for HS Interscholastic Events (Primary Sponsors: Representatives A. Reece Pyrtle, Jr., R-Rockingham; David Willis, R-Union)
- Requires that cash be accepted as a form of payment for admission to North Carolina high school athletic events and requires free admission for senior citizens who show a Tar Heel Card issued by the NC Department of Health and Human Services.
HB 4: Sam’s Law (Alternative title: Seizure Safe Schools Act of 2025) (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Keith Kidwell, R-Beaufort; Celeste Cairns, R-Carteret; Brian Biggs, R-Randolph: Erin Paré, R-Wake)
- Requires all local boards and governing bodies to adopt seizure policies for schools under their control, including a policy requiring principals, guidance counselors, and teachers to complete at least one hour of self-study review of seizure disorder materials each school year.
- Requires local boards and governing bodies to establish a seizure education program for all school personnel having direct contact with K-12 students and requires an informational poster on seizure first aid be displayed in at least one visible, high traffic area in each school.
- Allows the parent of a student diagnosed with a seizure disorder to petition their school for a Seizure Action Plan, i.e., a written, individualized health plan, especially related to that student’s medication and how its administered.
- Requires each school to ensure at least one of its employees is trained to administer any seizure medication provided to the school under a Seizure Action Plan.
- Appropriates $50,000 in nonrecurring funds from the General Fund to assist the State Board of Education with the development of its seizure policy and implementation costs.
- Applies beginning with the 2025-26 school year.
HB 8: NC Managing Environmental Waste Act of 2025 (Primary Sponsor: Representative Harry Warren, R-Rowan)
- Declares it is policy for all State departments, institutions, agencies, community colleges, and local school administrative units to purchase and use, or require the purchase and use of, materials and supplies with compostable or recyclable content in food establishments.
- Requires annual reporting from each entity on the amounts and types of supplies with composable or recyclable content purchased during the previous fiscal year, as well as reporting on the amounts and types of materials collected for recycling.
- Requires each entity to review its bid specifications for the purchase or use of materials to eliminate any procedures that explicitly and unreasonably discriminate against supplies with recycled content.
- Requires the NC Policy Collaboratory to study the issue of food service ware and report to the General Assembly in 2026. Appropriates $50,000 funds for this study.
- Establishes a pilot program run by Department of Natural and Cultural Resources to eliminate the sale of food/beverages in or with food service ware at five selected facilities.
Local House Bills Filed:
HB 27: SchCalFlex/Alamance/Open Cal. (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Dennis Riddell, R-Alamance; Stephen Ross, R-Alamance)
- Allows the local board of education for Alamance-Burlington Schools to adopt their own school calendar start and end date.
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Issue briefs are 1-2 page papers that provide background and additional details on each issue listed on our 2025-2026 Legislative Agenda. Click here for the Issue Briefs portion of our website, where you can find new and updated issue briefs over the coming weeks.
Click here to review or download the 2025-2026 Opportunity Scholarship Issue Brief and here for the 2025-2026 Students with Disabilities Issue Brief. |
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The following highlights are summaries directly based on the Consortium of State School Boards Associations (COSSBA) Federal Education Report and reflect information and ideas provided by the Consortium.
Click here to read more about these topics and others in the January 27th report.
HELP Committee Sets Legislative Priorities For 119th Congress: The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee convened for an organizing hearing focused on outlining shared legislative priorities, including education reform, prescription drug pricing, and healthcare access, though approaches differ between Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Additionally, Cassidy described the U.S. education crisis as a critical concern, citing literacy issues and linking them to lower graduation rates and higher incarceration rates, while Sanders highlighted the importance of reauthorizing key legislative measures, such as the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which failed to get passed in the final days of the 118th Congress.
School Safety Advisory Board: The Trump Administration disbanded the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse External Advisory Board, which was originally assembled to provide federal agencies with recommendations for protecting students. The move comes after a directive to dissolve all external advisory committees under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as part of a broader effort to refocus resources on national security priorities. Established after the 2018 Parkland school shooting and later codified into law, the defunct board included school safety experts, civil rights advocates, disability rights activists, and parents of shooting victims. DHS has not directly addressed whether the board will be reassembled at any point in the future. (To learn more, click here for a deep dive from The 74.) |
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No committees have been announced for next week yet. To keep up with the General Assembly’s legislative calendar, click here. |
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Bruce Mildwurf
Director of Governmental Relations
NC School Boards Association
bmildwurf@ncsba.org
Silya Bennai
Advocacy Coordinator
NC School Boards Association
sbennai@ncsba.org
(919) 747-6688 |
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