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State data: Black students suspended from NC public schools at four times the rate of whites
Black and American Indian students are suspended and expelled from schools at dramatically higher rates than their white peers, according to recent state data. During the 2021-22 school year, these groups had the highest rates of short-term suspensions, according to data compiled in the NC Department of Public Instruction’s Consolidated Data Report 2021-22.
House committee Ok’s bill to increase penalties for educators, other school personnel who engage in sexual misconduct with students
A bill that targets teachers and other school personnel who engage in sex or sex acts with students continues to make its way through the House. On Tuesday, House Bill 142, titled “Protect Our Students Act” received a favorable hearing from the House Rules, Calendar and Operations Committee. If HB 142 becomes law, school personnel […]
Child care teachers would become eligible for child care subsidy under House Bill 483
A House bill filed Monday would establish a pilot program to allow child care teachers employed full time by a licensed child care program to automatically become eligible to receive a child care subsidy for their preschool-age children. House Bill 483 was filed by Rep. Davis Willis, a Union County Republican. Under the bill, the […]
Senate bill would ban delta-8, delta-9 from public school buildings, school-sponsored events
A bill filed Thursday in the state Senate would ban the use of hemp products such as Delta-8 and Delta-9 from school buildings, grounds and school-sponsored events. Senate Bill 366 titled “Ban Delta-8 & Delta-9 on School Grounds” would prohibit hemp products and their “synthetic counterparts that are designed, manufactured, or sold to be inhaled […]
GOP bill to limit topics of discussion in public schools wins state House approval
Parents, Democratic lawmakers decry censorship and "chilling effect on education" A controversial bill that would restrict how the state’s public school teachers discuss race, gender and sexuality was approved by the state House by a 68-49 party line vote on Wednesday, and is now headed to the state Senate.
Department of Public Instruction, state agencies would study trade jobs under House Bill 282
A bill requiring state agencies and departments to study how North Carolinians enter trades such as plumbing and welding received a favorable report Tuesday in the House Commerce Committee. House Bill 282 titled “An Act to Compile Information Regarding the Trades Workforce and Future Training” would require the Department of Public Instruction and other agencies […]
Superior Court Judge James Ammons could decide Leandro funding issue in two weeks
Superior Court Judge James Ammons, who is overseeing the long-running Leandro school funding case, could decide in two weeks how much money the state must turnover to North Carolina’s public schools to pay of years two and three of a school improvement plan. On Friday, Ammons listened to attorneys in the decades-old case debate the […]
State House committee advances latest version of anti-Critical Race Theory legislation
Republicans defend bill as promoting equality, while Democrats forecast chilling impact on honest classroom discussions Rep. Ken Fontenot, a Wilson County Republican, vigorously defended House Bill 187 this week, contending that the bill restricting how educators teach about race, gender and sexuality, would prevent educators from teaching racially divisive doctrines.
N.C. Association of Educators file lawsuit against Gaston County Public Schools over payroll issues
The N.C. Association of Educators (NCAE) has filed a lawsuit against the Gaston County Board of Education over payroll issues that began in early 2022 after the county switched to Oracle, a third-party vendor, to manage and process the district’s payroll. Since the switch, Gaston County Public Schools (GCPS) employees have complained about discrepancies in […]
Gov. Roy Cooper’s budget would fund Leandro comprehensive remedial plan
Gov. Roy Cooper’s recommended budget for 2023-25 provides $677.8 million to pay for years two and three of a court-ordered school improvement plan stemming from the state’s long-running Leandro school funding lawsuit. Superior Court Judge David Lee, who oversaw the case until March 2022, ordered the state in 2021 to transfer $1.75 billion to pay […]
House committee advances bill to erase language in law describing minor offenses that lead to school suspensions
A bill stripping language from current law that provides examples of student conduct that’s not serious enough for suspension or expulsion received a favorable hearing Tuesday before the House Standing Committee on Education – K-12. House Bill 188 removes from state law the use of inappropriate or disrespectful language, noncompliance with a staff directive, dress […]
New Leandro judge sets hearing to determine what’s owed state’s school children
The judge overseeing the long running Leandro school funding lawsuit has given attorneys in the case until March 15 to file briefs on proposed funding amounts before deciding next steps in the case. Superior Court Judge James Ammons of Cumberland County was appointed to the nearly three-decades old case by Chief Justice Paul Newby in December. […]