South Carolina S 77: Streaming of School Board Meetings

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 77 Text of Previous Version (May. 06, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 77

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

Amended

May 6, 2025

S. 77

Introduced 
by Senators Hembree, Grooms and Zell 

S. Printed 5/6/25--H.

Read the first time February 25, 2025

________

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 
59-19-85 SO AS TO PROMOTE PUBLIC ACCESS TO SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS BY REQUIRING 
SCHOOL BOARDS TO ADOPT AND IMPLEMENT POLICIES THAT PROVIDE ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION 
OF SUCH MEETINGS AND TO PROVIDE RELATED REQUIREMENTS OF THE STATE BOARD OF 
EDUCATION; AND TO PROVIDE THAT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ACT MUST BE IMPLEMENTED 
BY JULY 1, 2025.

 Amend Title To Conform

Be it enacted by the 
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Chapter 19, Title 59 of the S.C. Code is amended by 
adding:

 Section 59-19-85. (A) 
Each public school governing body, including the governing bodies of charter 
schools and special schools, must make reasonable efforts to ensure the 
entirety of all meetings subject to the provisions of the South Carolina 
Freedom of Information Act are open and accessible to the public and also 
available by means of live video and audio electronic access, hereafter 
referred to as livestream access, except during a lawful executive session.

 (B) If 
a governing body cannot provide such livestream access to the public despite 
making reasonable efforts to restore livestream access during the meeting, it 
must make a clear audio and video recording of the meeting in its entirety 
available on its website as soon as practicable and in no more than seven days 
after the meeting.

 (C) 
The State Board of Education shall adopt, and revise as necessary, a model 
livestream meeting policy suitable for governing bodies of public schools, 
including charter and special schools, to comply with provisions in this 
section. The policy must include, at a minimum:

 (1) 
resources, recommendations, and best practices facilitating requirements for 
all portions of livestreamed meetings to be visible and audible in real time 
and subsequently posted on applicable websites no more than two business days 
of the meeting;

 (2) 
suggested approaches for developing and implementing ability and expanding or 
improving existing livestream capacity;

 (3) 
publicizing availability of livestreamed meetings;

 (4) 
allowances for executive sessions;

 (5) 
penalties for policy violations or noncompliance not to exceed one percent of 
state funds to the district, charter school, or special school, with escalating 
tiers based on frequency, duration, and severity; and

 (6) 
the process for allowing a governing body with evidence of limited or no 
broadband access to request approval from the State Board of Education for up 
to an additional twelve months to comply with provisions in this section.

 (D)(1) Each public school governing body, 
including the governing bodies of charter schools and special schools, shall 
adopt a local policy applicable to its meetings within three months after 
adoption of the model policy by the State Board of Education. A local policy 
must include, at a minimum, the State Board of Education model policy.

 (2) 
If the State Board of Education adopts a revision to the model policy, then the 
public school governing body shall adopt and incorporate the revision into its 
local policy within three months after the adoption of the revision by the 
State Board of Education.

 (3) 
A public school governing body only may adopt or revise its local policy at a 
regularly scheduled meeting, which must be successfully livestreamed.

 (4) 
A public school governing body may not adopt or follow a livestream policy that 
prevents or impedes in-person participation by the public.

 (5) 
Within thirty days after adoption of a local policy or revision to the policy, 
a public school governing body shall submit a copy of the policy or revision to 
the State Superintendent of Education for State Board of Education approval.

 (E) 
Funding by the State will be provided to those school districts without 
streaming capabilities as of the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year.

SECTION 2. The 
provisions of this act must be implemented by January 1, 2026.

SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval 
by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on May 06, 2025 at 06:37 PM