S.L. 2025-2 // HB 47: Disaster Recovery Act of 2025 – Part I (Primary Sponsors: Representatives John Bell, R-Wayne; Dudley Greene, R-McDowell)

• Provides western North Carolina with an additional $524 million to aid the region’s recovery efforts. This includes $9 million to DPI for a School Extension Learning Recovery Program.

Statewide Bills Passed by the House, Sent to the Senate:

HB 95: Threaten Elected Official/Increase Punishment (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Keith Kidwell, R-Beaufort; Ben Moss, R-Richmond; Jay Adams, R-Catawba; Diane Wheatley, R-Cumberland)

• Extends protections and punishments related to threats against elected officers to include local elected officers; increases penalties from a misdemeanor to a felony.

HB 186 (=SB 312): The Stars and Stripes Commitment Act (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Brian Biggs, R-Randolph; Jennifer Balkcom, R-Henderson; Neal Jackson, R-Moore)

• Requires the pledge of allegiance to be recited daily in each public school classroom within one hour of the beginning of the school’s instructional day.
• Requires the pledge of allegiance at the beginning of meetings of the State Board of Education and local boards of education.
• This bill does not require any person to stand, salute the flag, or recite the pledge.

Statewide Bills Moving In the House:

HB 56: Publish Central Office Employment Information (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Erin Pare, R-Wake; Donnie Loftis, R-Gaston; Jeff Zenger, R-Forsyth; Steve Tyson, R-Craven)

• Requires local boards of education to digitally publish a list of information for all central office positions and certain third-party contractors, including:

·        Total compensation

·        Position title and description

·        Date the position was created

·        Department, unit, or office in which the position is located

·        Number of positions associated with each title

·        Number of central office employees in each department, unit, or office

HB 87: Cell Phone-Free Education (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Neal Jackson, R-Moore; Brian Biggs, R-Randolph; Mike Schietzelt, R-Wake; Blair Eddins, R-Wilkes)

• Requires local school boards and other governing bodies of public schools to adopt a cellphone policy to eliminate or severely restrict student access to cellphones during instructional time.
• Requires governing bodies to notify parents and students of the cell phone policy at the beginning of each school year.

HB 171: Equality in State Agencies/Prohibition on DEI (Primary Sponsors: Brenden Jones, R-Columbus; Neal Jackson, R-Moore; Jarrod Lowery, R-Robeson; Blair Eddins, R-Wilkes)

• Prohibits State agencies and units of local government from supporting or funding workplace DEI programs, or policies, including employment, dedicated DEI staff positions or offices, or DEI training.
• Clarifies financial, criminal, and professional penalties for violations.
• Requires compliance with applicable legal protections (i.e., Title IX, First Amendment rights, etc.)

HB 227: U.S. & N.C. Flags/Made In USA (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Edward Goodwin, R-Chowan; Allen Chesser, R-Nash; Dennis Riddell, R-Alamance; Charles Smith, D-Cumberland )

• Prevents PSUs and other State institutions from using public funds to purchase US flags or NC flags unless the flags were 100% manufactured in the United States.

HB 378: Leon’s Law (Dual Enrollment Info Parents) (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Ray Pickett, R-Watauga; Tricia Cotham, R-Mecklenburg; Ya Liu, D-Wake; Zack Hawkins, D-Durham)

• Requires community colleges to make educational records for dependent minor students automatically available to their parents or guardians. Students must complete a form acknowledging this requirement before enrolling in a course.

Statewide House Bills Filed:

HB 411: Reduce Early Voting Period for Primaries (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Neal Jackson, R-Moore; Steve Tyson, R-Craven; Wyatt Gable, R-Onslow; Brian Biggs, R-Randolph)

• Shortens early voting periods for a primary election.
• Apply to elections held on or after January 1, 2026.

HB 414: 1-to-1 Credit for Career and College Promise (Primary Sponsors: Representatives David Willis, R-Union; Tricia Cotham, R-Mecklenburg; Brian Biggs, R-Randolph; Ray Pickett, R-Watauga)

• Requires the State Board of Education to collaboratively develop courses to be offered at community colleges that align with the high school core graduation requirements for 1-to-1 credit.

HB 415: Split Math Courses and Change Math Grad. Reqs (Primary Sponsors: Representatives David Willis, R-Union; Brian Biggs, R-Randolph; Tricia Cotham, R-Mecklenburg; Heather Rhyne, R-Lincoln)

• Requires the State Board of Education to develop a course of study for high school mathematics that spreads the content standards of NC Math 1 and NC Math 2 into four separate courses and modifies graduation requirements. Requires completion of an end-of-course test for NC Math 2 but not NC Math 3.

HB 418: K-5 Performing and Visual Arts Requirement (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Becky Carney, D-Mecklenburg; Kyle Hall, R-Stokes; Erin Paré, R-Wake)

• Requires local school administrative units to provide students in grades K-5 with instruction in music, dance, or theatre and visual arts.
• Requirements for instruction include:
  • Occur during at least one instructional day out of every five
  • Be taught by at least one licensed music, dance, or theatre arts education/visual arts education instructor (as appropriate)

HB 420: Sound Basic Education for Every Child (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Julie von Haefen, R-Wake; Cynthia Ball, D-Wake; Zack Hawkins, D-Durham; Lindsey Prather, D-Buncombe)

• This 49-page bill provides appropriations and directives related to:
  • Teacher licensure and compensation
  • Teacher recruitment and retention
  • School health personnel
  • Principal/assistant principal preparation and compensation
  • Funding flexibility
  • Funding for students with disabilities and limited English proficiency (LEP)
  • Funding for teacher assistants and media coordinators
  • School construction bonds
  • Charter school funding
  • Weighted student funding
  • School accountability
  • School nutrition
  • NC Pre-K and early education
  • Calendar alignment with community colleges
  • Dual enrollment

HB 428: Study School Discipline Parent Involvement (Primary Sponsors: Frances Jackson, D-Cumberland; Diane Wheatley, R-Cumberland)

• Requires the Department of Public Instruction to evaluate how policies with a focus on parent involvement may decrease the rate of recurring disciplinary infractions. Prohibits the study from including review of any student discipline involving students with an IEP or a 504 Behavioral Plan.
• Appropriates funds for the study and requires DPI to report results and recommendations.

HB 433: Registered Nurses in Schools (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Karl Gillespie, R-Macon; Donna White, R-Johnston; Tricia Cotham, R-Mecklenburg; Timothy Reeder, R-Pitt)

• Allows licensed registered nurses with at least two years of experience serving in a hospital or health clinic to serve as a school nurse.

HB 445: Fairness & Transparency in Education Salaries (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Julie von Haefen, D-Wake; Amos Quick, D-Guilford; Cynthia Ball, D-Wake; Lindsey Prather, D-Buncombe)

• Reinstates master’s pay for qualifying educators and school social workers.
• Appropriates recurring funds for this purpose.
• Requires every local board of education to publish the salary schedule adopted for occupational therapists and physical therapists on its website.

HB 451: Diabetes Education for Parents (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Tricia Cotham, R-Mecklenburg; Dean Arp, R-Union; Carla Cunningham, D-Mecklenburg; Keith Kidwell, R-Beaufort)

• Requires governing bodies of public schools to ensure that the guidelines for individual diabetes care plans are implemented in schools with students with diabetes.
• Requires all schools to provide parents and legal guardians with information containing six described components relating to type 1 and type 2 diabetes at the start of each school year.
• Appropriates funds for this purpose.

HB 457: Increase Small County Funding (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Renée Price, D-Orange; Kanika Brown, D-Forsyth; Howard Penny, R-Harnett)

• Proportionally increases the allotment amounts for small counties based on ADM.
• Appropriates recurring funds for this purpose.

HB 464 (=SB360): Healthy Students – A Nurse in Every School (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Cynthia Ball, D-Wake; Donny Lambeth, R-Forsyth; Carla Cunningham, D-Mecklenburg; Donna White, R-Johnston)

• Requires local boards of education and other governing bodies of PSUs to ensure that each school is staffed by at least one full-time, permanent school nurse.
• Appropriates recurring supplemental funds for this purpose.

HB 475: State ID Cards for High School Students (Primary Sponsors: Representatives Ray Pickett, R-Watauga; Laura Budd, D-Mecklenburg; Brian Biggs, R-Randolph)

• Establishes a pilot program to issue special identification cards to students who are at least 16 years old and attend a public high school in Mecklenburg, Randolph, Union, and Watauga Counties.

Statewide Senate Bills Filed:

SB 296: Buy American Steel (Primary Sponsors: Senators David Craven, R-Randolph; Brad Overcash, R-Gaston; Todd Johnson, R-Union)

• Defines “public works project” as an activity paid for with any State-appropriated funds. Requires a governmental entity awarding a contract for a public works project to mandate that any iron or steel permanently incorporated in the project be produced in the United States.
• Provides exemptions for specific circumstances.

SB 299: Government Transparency Act of 2025 (Primary Sponsors: Senators Norman Sanderson, R-Pamlico; Buck Newton, R-Wilson)

• Requires each local board of education and other governing bodies to maintain records to show the date and general description of the reasons for each employee promotion, demotion, dismissal, transfer, suspension, or separation.
• Requires each local board to adopt a policy to allow employee challenges to records descriptions.

SB 312 (=HB 186): The Stars and Stripes Commitment Act (Primary Sponsors: Senators David Craven, R-Randolph; Dana Jones, R-Forsyth; Danny Britt, R-Robeson)

• Requires the pledge of allegiance to be recited daily in each public school classroom within one hour of the beginning of the school’s instructional day.
• Requires the pledge of allegiance at the beginning of meetings of the State Board of Education and local boards of education.
• This bill does not require any person to stand, salute the flag, or recite the pledge.

SB 319: SAUs to Maintain AIG Services in Alt. Programs (Primary Sponsor: Senator Terence Everitt, D-Wake)

• Requires local boards of education to include within their local plans for serving academically and intellectually gifted (AIG) students a procedure for providing continuous services to children who are placed in alternative learning programs or alternative schools.

SB 323: Student Health and Responsibility Act (Primary Sponsors: Senators Val Applewhite, D-Cumberland; Gladys Robinson, D-Guilford)

• Establishes the Safer Sex Supplies Grant to assist grant recipients in providing free access to safer sex supplies at public high schools.
• Directs schools to refrain from requiring parental permission for students to access supplies.
• Appropriates funds for this purpose.

SB 326 (=HB 339): Economic Security Act (Primary Sponsors: Senators Natalie Murdock, D-Durham; Julie Mayfield, D-Buncombe; Lisa Grafstein, D-Wake)

• Beginning in 2026, increases the statewide minimum wage to $22/hour, adjusted for inflation annually.
• Provides a 3% cost-of-living adjustment for retirees of the Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System, the Local Governmental Employees’ Retirement System, and other specified systems.

SB 371: Stop Chronically Low-Performing Charters (Primary Sponsors: Senators Sophia Chitlik, D-Durham; Lisa Grafstein, D-Wake)

• Requires charter revocation for schools that have been low-performing for four consecutive years, restricts charter schools from expanding if they are low-performing, limits charters for remote academies to three years, and requires charter schools to list the school’s performance grade on enrollment applications.

SB 375: Amend Hazing Laws (Primary Sponsors: Senators Amy Galey, R-Alamance; Lisa Barnes, R-Nash; Brad Overcash, R-Gaston)

• Requires DPI to collaboratively develop an education plan for public schools to prevent hazing. Requires public schools to administer this program to every student within 30 days of enrollment.
• Contains reporting requirements for public schools on hazing.

SB 381: Equality for All (Primary Sponsors: Senators Lisa Grafstein, D-Wake; Julie Mayfield, D-Buncombe; Graig Meyer, D-Orange)

• Requires local boards of education to adopt a policy to not discriminate on the basis of specific characteristics/information.
• Requires charter schools and private schools that accept eligible students receiving scholarship grants to not limit admissions or discriminate on the basis of specific characteristics/information.
• Allows complaints to be filed with the North Carolina Human Relations Commission.

Local Bills

HB 58: Various Local Elections (Primary Sponsor: Representative Matthew Winslow, R-Franklin)

• Requires members of the Asheboro City Board of Education to be elected on a partisan basis in even-numbered years to serve four-year staggered terms.
• Reduces the number of Asheboro City Board of Education members to seven.
• Prohibits the Scotland County Board of Education from initiating a dispute resolution process or filing any legal action challenging the determination of funds to be appropriated by the board of commissioners to the local current expense fund and capital outlay fund for fiscal year 2025-2026.

Local Bills Passed the Senate, Sent to the House

SB 127: Lower Taxes for Scotland County (Primary Sponsor: Senator Danny Britt, R-Robeson)

• Prohibits the Scotland County Board of Education from initiating a dispute resolution process or filing any legal action challenging the determination of funds to be appropriated by the board of commissioners to the local current expense fund and capital outlay fund for fiscal year 2025-2026.

Local Bills Moving In the House:

HB 294: Jackson Co Bd of Ed Election Partisan (Primary Sponsor: Representative Mike Clampitt, R-Swain)

• Requires members of the Jackson County Board of Education to be elected on a partisan basis. Candidates must be nominated at the same time and manner as other county officers and electees must take office on the first Monday in December following the election.
• Effective the first Monday in December 2026.

HB 302: Pitt Co. Bd. of Ed. Elect. Partisan (Primary Sponsor: Representative Timothy Reeder, R-Pitt))

• Requires members of the Pitt County Board of Education to be elected on a partisan basis at the time of the general election in each even-numbered year as staggered terms expire. Candidates must be nominated at the same time and manner as other county officers.
• Requires electees to take office on the first Monday in December following the election.

Click here to view the 2025-2026 School Accountability Issue Brief

April 7 Session: Register here

Once your registration is approved (we will manually confirm that all registrants are local school board members or district stakeholders), you will receive a confirmation email with the Zoom link. Registrants will also receive a reminder confirmation email the day of the meeting with the Zoom link.

*Please note that you will need to separately register for every month’s session that you plan to attend. Monthly registration links will be continuously included in these weekly legislative updates.*

Click here to read more about these topics and others in the March 17, 2025 report.

USDA Cancels $1B for Schools: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) canceled two major programs aimed at supplying local food to schools, including the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program, which was set to distribute $660 million in 2025. The decision comes as schools face rising food costs, with critics like Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey voicing concerns about the negative impact on farmers and families nationwide. While funds from previous agreements remain available, no new contracts will be made under these programs.

House K-12 Panel Examines School Choice: The House Education and Workforce Committee held a hearing on charter schools, vouchers, and education savings accounts (ESAs). The hearing saw strong support from Republicans, who argued that school choice policies lead to increased competition and improved academic performance, especially in underperforming public schools. Witnesses testified that school choice programs provide more opportunities, especially for students with disabilities. However, Democrats raised concerns that diverting public funds to private institutions through school choice undermines public education and lacks sufficient oversight. Critics also noted that these programs tend to disproportionately benefit wealthier families and leave vulnerable students underserved.

Judge Orders Rehiring of ED Employees: In a significant legal development, a federal judge ordered the reinstatement of nearly 2,000 employees at the Department of Education who had been laid off as part of the massive workforce reduction effort. The ED’s move, which affected nearly half of the department’s staff, was framed as a cost-saving measure to increase efficiency. However, U.S. District Judge James Bredar ruled that the terminations violated federal law due to the failure to provide the legally required 60-day notice to affected employees. The judge determined the layoffs were not based on performance but unauthorized reductions in force.

Insights on Future of AI in Education: Education Week hosted a panel on the future role of AI in education, featuring superintendents and instructional leaders who discussed the potential benefits and challenges of AI integration in K-12 schools. Panelists emphasized that AI should complement, not replace, traditional teaching methods, and should be used as a tool to enhance personalized learning. They discussed how AI could help tailor lessons to individual needs and potentially lessen teachers’ workloads by increasing student engagement. The conversation also touched on the need for professional development to help educators adapt to AI technologies and best incorporate them into their classrooms.

State News

News & Observer: Thousands of affluent students now benefit from NC private school voucher expansion

EdNC: As Trump moves to close the federal department of education, is North Carolina prepared to assume more responsibility?

Carolina Journal: Trump executive order moves to shrink US Department of Education

EdNC: ‘Highlights’ report of the budget for North Carolina public schools is out for 2024-25

Carolina Journal: Stein budget proposal freezes scheduled tax cuts and boosts spending

EdNC: If you care about teacher morale in North Carolina, this data is worth a look

National News

NC Newsline: Trump signs order directing Education secretary to shut down her own department

Inside Higher ED: Education Department Reinstates 65 Probationary Employees

Education Week: Judge Orders Trump Admin. to Restore Teacher-Prep Grants It Slashed

K-12 Dive: What will NCES layoffs mean for the Nation’s Report Card?

EdSurge: For Families, School Choice Doesn’t Mean Easy Decisions

EdTech: How Schools Can Prepare for Artificial Intelligence-Backed Cyberattacks

House: Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House

4:00 pm on Monday, March 24

Bills being heard include:

HB 87: Cell Phone-Free Education

HB 294: Jackson Co Bd of Ed Election Partisan

HB 302: Pitt Co. Bd. of Ed. Elect. Partisan

Click here to stream.

House: Health

11:00 am on Tuesday, March 25

Bills being heard include:

HB 328: Ban Delta-8 & Delta-9 on School Grounds

HB 329: Tobacco and Hemp on Nonpublic School Grounds

HB 397: Use of Epinephrine Nasal Spray in Schools

Click here to stream.

House: State and Local Government

2:00 pm on Tuesday, March 25

Bills being heard include:

HB 244: Depoliticize Government Property Act

Click here to stream.

To keep up with the General Assembly’s legislative calendar, click here.