North Carolina SB 125: Various Education Changes.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025

SESSION LAW 2025-56
SENATE BILL 125

*S125-v-5*
AN ACT TO REORGANIZE CHAPTER 115D OF THE GENERAL STATUTES AND MAKE
NECESSARY CONFORMING CHANGES, TO MAKE VARIOUS CHANGES TO THE
COMMUNITY COLLEGES STATUTES, TO ALLOW CERTAIN NONPUBLIC
SCHOOLS TO REQUEST RESIDENCY LICENSES FOR TEACHERS, AND TO
EXTEND THE REVERSION DATE OF SCHOOL SAFETY GRANT FUNDS.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

PART I. REORGANIZATION OF CHAPTER 115D
SECTION 1.(a) Article 1 of Chapter 115D of the General Statutes reads as rewritten:
"Article 1.
"General Provisions for State Administration.
"Part 1. Establishment and Administration of the North Carolina Community Colleges System.
"§ 115D-1. Statement of purpose.
The purposes of this Chapter are to provide for the establishment, organization, and
administration of a system of educational institutions throughout the State offering courses of
instruction in one or more of the general areas of two-year college parallel, technical, vocational,
and adult education programs, to serve as a legislative charter for such institutions, and to
authorize the levying of local taxes and the issuing of local bonds for the support thereof. The
major purpose of each and every institution operating under the provisions of this Chapter shall
be and shall continue to be the offering of vocational and technical education and training, and
of basic, high school level, academic education needed in order to profit from vocational and
technical education, for students who are high school graduates or who are beyond the
compulsory age limit of the public school system and who have left the public schools, provided,
juveniles of any age committed to the Division of Juvenile Justice of the Department of Public
Safety by a court of competent jurisdiction may, if approved by the director of the youth
development center to which they are assigned, take courses offered by institutions of the system
if they are otherwise qualified for admission.
The Community Colleges System Office is designated as the primary lead agency for
delivering workforce development training, adult literacy training, and adult education programs
in the State.
...
"§ 115D-1.3. Accreditation of secondary school located in North Carolina shall not be a
factor in admissions, loans, scholarships, or other educational policies.
(a) For purposes of this section, the term "accreditation" shall include certification or any
other similar approval process.
(b) The State Board of Community Colleges shall adopt a policy that prohibits any
community college from soliciting or using information regarding the accreditation of a
secondary school located in North Carolina that a person attended as a factor affecting
admissions, loans, scholarships, or other educational activity at the community college, unless
the accreditation was conducted by a State agency.
...

Page 2 Session Law 2025-56 Senate Bill 125
"§ 115D-4.1. College transfer program approval; standards for programs; annual
reporting requirements.
(a) Repealed by Session Laws 1995, c. 288, s. 1, effective September 1, 1995.
(b) The State Board of Community Colleges may approve the addition of the college
transfer program to a community college. If addition of the college transfer program to an
institution would require a substantial increase in funds, State Board approval shall be subject to
appropriation of funds by the General Assembly for this purpose.
(c) Addition of the college transfer program shall not decrease an institution's ability to
provide programs within its basic mission of vocational and technical training and basic academic
education.
(d) The State Board of Community Colleges shall develop appropriate criteria and
standards to regulate the addition of the college transfer program to institutions.
(e) The State Board of Community Colleges shall develop appropriate criteria and
standards to regulate the operation of college transfer programs.
(f) The Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina shall report to each
community college and to the State Board of Community Colleges in accordance with
G.S. 116-11(10b) on the academic performance of that community college's transfer students. If
the State Board of Community Colleges finds that college transfer students from a community
college are not consistently performing adequately at a four-year college, the Board shall review
the community college's program and determine what steps are necessary to remedy the problem.
The Board shall report annually to the General Assembly on the reports it receives and on what
steps it is taking to remedy problems that it finds.
(g) The Community Colleges System Office shall report by April 15, 2011, and annually
thereafter, to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee, the State Board of Education,
the Office of State Budget and Management, and the Fiscal Research Division of the General
Assembly on the implementation of the