North Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session

North Carolina House Bill H878 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
2	2		SESSION 2025
3		-	H 1
4		-	HOUSE BILL 878
	3	+	H D
	4	+	HOUSE BILL DRH10381-NG-42
	5	+
5	6
6	7
7	8		Short Title: Increased Academic Transparency. (Public)
8		-	Sponsors: Representatives Johnson, Blackwell, Gable, and Willis (Primary Sponsors).
9		-	For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
10		-	Referred to: Education - K-12, if favorable, Judiciary 2, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and
11		-	Operations of the House
12		-	April 10, 2025
13		-	H878 -v-1
	9	+	Sponsors: Representative Johnson.
	10	+	Referred to:
	11	+
	12	+	DRH10381 -NG-42
14	13		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
15	14		AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR INCREASED PUBLIC ACCESS TO LESSON PLANS AND 2
16	15		OTHER INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 3
17	16		The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
18	17		SECTION 1.(a) Article 7B of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is amended by 5
19	18		adding a new Part to read: 6
20	19		"Part 7. Academic Transparency. 7
21	20		"§ 115C-76.75. Inform the public about course materials. 8
22	21		(a) The following definitions apply in this section: 9
23	22		(1) Action-oriented civics learning assignments or projects. – Assignments or 10
24	23		projects that require students to contact elected officials or advocate for a 11
25	24		political or social cause or to participate in political or social demonstrations. 12
26	25		(2) Course materials. – Any material used for instruction in a course, including, 13
27	26		but not limited to, all instructional materials, supplemental materials, 14
28	27		textbooks, other reading materials, videos, digital materials, websites, and 15
29	28		other online applications. 16
30	29		(3) Instructional materials. – Systematically organized material comprehensive 17
31	30		enough to cover the primary objectives outlined in the standard course of 18
32	31		study for a grade or course. Formats for instructional materials may be print 19
33	32		or nonprint, including hardbound books, softbound books, activity-oriented 20
34	33		programs, classroom kits, or digital resources that require the use of electronic 21
35	34		equipment in order to be used in the learning process. 22
36	35		(4) Lesson plan. – An outline of all of the following: 23
37	36		a. The instruction provided by a teacher for a course that includes a list 24
38	37		of (i) all course materials assigned, distributed, or otherwise presented 25
39	38		in the course and (ii) when students must select course materials from 26
40	39		a defined list, all course materials on that list. 27
41	40		b. Each grade- or school-wide presentation, assembly, lecture, or other 28
42	41		activity or event facilitated by the school during instructional hours 29
43	42		outside of an individual teacher's classroom, excluding student 30
44	43		presentations. The outline shall include a list of (i) each presenter by 31
45	44		name and organization and (ii) any course material used or presented. 32
46	45		(5) Supplemental materials. – Educational materials that supplement specific 33
47		-	instruction for the standard course of study selected and procured by a local 34 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
48		-	Page 2 House Bill 878-First Edition
49		-	board of education for a grade or course or general education needs of the 1
50		-	school. Supplemental materials may include textbooks, library books, 2
51		-	periodicals, audiovisual materials, action-oriented civics learning assignments 3
52		-	or projects, and other supplemental instructional materials needed for 4
53		-	instructional purposes in the local school administrative unit. Supplemental 5
54		-	materials may be print or nonprint, including hardbound books, softbound 6
55		-	books, activity-oriented programs, classroom kits, or digital resources that 7
56		-	require the use of electronic equipment in order to be used in the learning 8
57		-	process. 9
58		-	(b) The governing body of a public school unit shall ensure that the following information 10
59		-	for each school it governs is prominently displayed on the school website, organized, at a 11
60		-	minimum, by subject area and grade level: 12
61		-	(1) All lesson plans used shall be posted online no later than 10 days after the 13
62		-	lesson was given. Lesson plans shall include the following, at a minimum: 14
63		-	a. The names of all instructional and supplemental materials used by the 15
64		-	school with an electronic link to the instructional materials website. 16
65		-	b. Any other course materials used in a course, organized by title, and the 17
66		-	author, organization, or website associated with each material and 18
67		-	activity. These course materials shall include materials created by the 19
68		-	teacher, with the teacher identified as the author. The lesson plan shall 20
69		-	include a brief descriptor of the course materials and a link to the 21
70		-	course material, if publicly available on the internet, or information on 22
71		-	how to request review of a copy of the course material in person. 23
72		-	Nothing in this section shall be construed to require the digital 24
73		-	reproduction or posting of copies of the course materials themselves. 25
74		-	(2) For all public school units, any procedures for the documentation, review, or 26
75		-	approval of the lesson plans, including course materials identified in those 27
76		-	plans, by the principal, curriculum administrators, or other teachers. 28
77		-	(3) For all public school units, the procedure established by the governing board 29
78		-	for requesting an in-person review of a course material not publicly available 30
79		-	on the internet. 31
80		-	(4) For all public school units, a list of teacher and staff training materials and 32
81		-	activities used at each school during the current school year. 33
82		-	(c) The governing body shall provide access from the website of the public school unit 34
83		-	to the information required by subsection (b) of this section at all times, either through a website 35
84		-	maintained by the public school unit or by a link to another website where the information is 36
85		-	publicly accessible. Public access to the information shall be maintained by the public school 37
86		-	unit for two calendar years from the date the material is posted. The Department of Public 38
87		-	Instruction shall make available to public school units one or more templates for providing 39
88		-	information as required by this section. A public school unit may exercise flexibility in 40
89		-	determining the most effective means of compliance with the requirements of this section, 41
90		-	including, but not limited to, utilizing any of the following in its discretion: 42
91		-	(1) Providing a template created by the Department of Public Instruction to 43
92		-	teachers to facilitate reporting of lesson plans. 44
93		-	(2) Creating one or more templates to provide to teachers to facilitate reporting of 45
94		-	lesson plans. The public school unit may customize templates for grades or 46
95		-	courses and may autopopulate any course materials required by the public 47
96		-	school unit as part of the curriculum for a particular grade or course. 48
97		-	(3) Allowing utilization of online collaborative software, documents, or 49
98		-	spreadsheets to allow multiple authorized users to update content. 50 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
99		-	House Bill 878-First Edition Page 3
100		-	(4) To the extent allowable under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act 1
101		-	(FERPA), 20 U.S.C. § 1232g, providing temporary login credentials via a 2
102		-	publicly accessible link on the school's website to the school's online learning 3
103		-	management system for any grade levels requested, provided that both of the 4
104		-	following apply: 5
105		-	a. All information required under this section is listed within the online 6
106		-	learning management system. 7
107		-	b. The login credentials are automatically generated immediately on 8
108		-	request and provide access for the requested grade levels for not less 9
109		-	than 72 hours at least once per 30-day period for each requestor. The 10
110		-	access provided via the login credentials may be limited to the 11
111		-	information required by this section and is not required to provide 12
112		-	access to academic assessments, answer keys, student generated 13
113		-	content, student performance records, or other student identifying 14
114		-	information. 15
115		-	(d) A governing body that is responsible for the operation of schools with fewer than 30 16
116		-	students cumulatively is not required to comply with the requirements of this section. 17
117		-	(e) For purposes of teacher privacy, a teacher or staff member may request that the school 18
118		-	use the teacher's or staff member's personal title and last initial rather than the teacher's or staff 19
119		-	member's full name when posting materials online to be viewed by the public." 20
120		-	SECTION 1.(b) Article 4 of Chapter 116 of the General Statutes is amended by 21
121		-	adding a new section to read: 22
122		-	"§ 116-69.3. Inform the public about course materials. 23
123		-	The Board of Trustees shall ensure that information about course materials is prominently 24
124		-	displayed on the website of the North Carolina School of the Arts for all elementary, middle, and 25
125		-	high school programs, in accordance with G.S. 115C-76.75." 26
126		-	SECTION 1.(c) G.S. 116-235 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 27
127		-	"(k) Course Materials. – The Board of Trustees shall ensure that information about course 28
128		-	materials is prominently displayed on the website of the School in accordance with 29
129		-	G.S. 115C-76.75." 30
130		-	SECTION 2. This act is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with 31
131		-	the 2025-2026 school year. 32
	46	+	instruction for the standard course of study selected and procured by a local 34
	47	+	board of education for a grade or course or general education needs of the 35
	48	+	school. Supplemental materials may include textbooks, library books, 36
	49	+	H.B. 878
	50	+	Apr 9, 2025
	51	+	HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
	52	+	Page 2 DRH10381-NG-42
	53	+	periodicals, audiovisual materials, action-oriented civics learning assignments 1
	54	+	or projects, and other supplemental instructional materials needed for 2
	55	+	instructional purposes in the local school administrative unit. Supplemental 3
	56	+	materials may be print or nonprint, including hardbound books, softbound 4
	57	+	books, activity-oriented programs, classroom kits, or digital resources that 5
	58	+	require the use of electronic equipment in order to be used in the learning 6
	59	+	process. 7
	60	+	(b) The governing body of a public school unit shall ensure that the following information 8
	61	+	for each school it governs is prominently displayed on the school website, organized, at a 9
	62	+	minimum, by subject area and grade level: 10
	63	+	(1) All lesson plans used shall be posted online no later than 10 days after the 11
	64	+	lesson was given. Lesson plans shall include the following, at a minimum: 12
	65	+	a. The names of all instructional and supplemental materials used by the 13
	66	+	school with an electronic link to the instructional materials website. 14
	67	+	b. Any other course materials used in a course, organized by title, and the 15
	68	+	author, organization, or website associated with each material and 16
	69	+	activity. These course materials shall include materials created by the 17
	70	+	teacher, with the teacher identified as the author. The lesson plan shall 18
	71	+	include a brief descriptor of the course materials and a link to the 19
	72	+	course material, if publicly available on the internet, or information on 20
	73	+	how to request review of a copy of the course material in person. 21
	74	+	Nothing in this section shall be construed to require the digital 22
	75	+	reproduction or posting of copies of the course materials themselves. 23
	76	+	(2) For all public school units, any procedures for the documentation, review, or 24
	77	+	approval of the lesson plans, including course materials identified in those 25
	78	+	plans, by the principal, curriculum administrators, or other teachers. 26
	79	+	(3) For all public school units, the procedure established by the governing board 27
	80	+	for requesting an in-person review of a course material not publicly available 28
	81	+	on the internet. 29
	82	+	(4) For all public school units, a list of teacher and staff training materials and 30
	83	+	activities used at each school during the current school year. 31
	84	+	(c) The governing body shall provide access from the website of the public school unit 32
	85	+	to the information required by subsection (b) of this section at all times, either through a website 33
	86	+	maintained by the public school unit or by a link to another website where the information is 34
	87	+	publicly accessible. Public access to the information shall be maintained by the public school 35
	88	+	unit for two calendar years from the date the material is posted. The Department of Public 36
	89	+	Instruction shall make available to public school units one or more templates for providing 37
	90	+	information as required by this section. A public school unit may exercise flexibility in 38
	91	+	determining the most effective means of compliance with the requirements of this section, 39
	92	+	including, but not limited to, utilizing any of the following in its discretion: 40
	93	+	(1) Providing a template created by the Department of Public Instruction to 41
	94	+	teachers to facilitate reporting of lesson plans. 42
	95	+	(2) Creating one or more templates to provide to teachers to facilitate reporting of 43
	96	+	lesson plans. The public school unit may customize templates for grades or 44
	97	+	courses and may autopopulate any course materials required by the public 45
	98	+	school unit as part of the curriculum for a particular grade or course. 46
	99	+	(3) Allowing utilization of online collaborative software, documents, or 47
	100	+	spreadsheets to allow multiple authorized users to update content. 48
	101	+	(4) To the extent allowable under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act 49
	102	+	(FERPA), 20 U.S.C. § 1232g, providing temporary login credentials via a 50
	103	+	publicly accessible link on the school's website to the school's online learning 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
	104	+	DRH10381-NG-42 Page 3
	105	+	management system for any grade levels requested, provided that both of the 1
	106	+	following apply: 2
	107	+	a. All information required under this section is listed within the online 3
	108	+	learning management system. 4
	109	+	b. The login credentials are automatically generated immediately on 5
	110	+	request and provide access for the requested grade levels for not less 6
	111	+	than 72 hours at least once per 30-day period for each requestor. The 7
	112	+	access provided via the login credentials may be limited to the 8
	113	+	information required by this section and is not required to provide 9
	114	+	access to academic assessments, answer keys, student generated 10
	115	+	content, student performance records, or other student identifying 11
	116	+	information. 12
	117	+	(d) A governing body that is responsible for the operation of schools with fewer than 30 13
	118	+	students cumulatively is not required to comply with the requirements of this section. 14
	119	+	(e) For purposes of teacher privacy, a teacher or staff member may request that the school 15
	120	+	use the teacher's or staff member's personal title and last initial rather than the teacher's or staff 16
	121	+	member's full name when posting materials online to be viewed by the public." 17
	122	+	SECTION 1.(b) Article 4 of Chapter 116 of the General Statutes is amended by 18
	123	+	adding a new section to read: 19
	124	+	"§ 116-69.3. Inform the public about course materials. 20
	125	+	The Board of Trustees shall ensure that information about course materials is prominently 21
	126	+	displayed on the website of the North Carolina School of the Arts for all elementary, middle, and 22
	127	+	high school programs, in accordance with G.S. 115C-76.75." 23
	128	+	SECTION 1.(c) G.S. 116-235 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 24
	129	+	"(k) Course Materials. – The Board of Trustees shall ensure that information about course 25
	130	+	materials is prominently displayed on the website of the School in accordance with 26
	131	+	G.S. 115C-76.75." 27
	132	+	SECTION 2. This act is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with 28
	133	+	the 2025-2026 school year. 29