North Carolina HB 1020: Personal Education Student Account Class Aides and Children of Wartime Veterans Funds.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 1020

Short Title: PESA Class Aides & Child. Wartime Vets Funds. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives Paré, Blackwell, Chesser, and Loftis (Primary Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
April 22, 2026
*H1020-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO AUTHORIZE THE USE OF PERSONAL EDUCATION STUDENT ACCOUNT 2
FUNDS FOR EDUCATION-RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES PROVIDED BY A 3
ONE-TO-ONE CLASSROOM AIDE AND TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS TO SUPPORT 4
THE CHILDREN OF WARTIME VETERANS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. 5
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 6
7
PART I. AUTHORIZE USE OF PERSONAL EDUCATION STUDENT ACCOUNT 8
FUNDS FOR ONE-TO-ONE CLASSROOM AIDES 9
SECTION 1.(a) G.S. 115C-591 reads as rewritten: 10
"§ 115C-591. Definitions. 11
The following definitions apply in this Article: 12
... 13
(4a) One-to-one classroom aide. – A person who holds at least a high school 14
diploma, or its equivalent, and who supports an eligible student in a classroom, 15
and other educational settings as necessary, at the request of the Part 1 or 2 16
nonpublic school in which the eligible student is enrolled. 17
...." 18
SECTION 1.(b) G.S. 115C-595 reads as rewritten: 19
"§ 115C-595. Parental agreement; use of funds. 20
(a) Parental Agreement. – The Authority shall provide the parent of a scholarship 21
recipient with a written agreement, applicable for each year the eligible student receives 22
scholarship funds under this Article, to be signed and returned to the Authority prior to receiving 23
the scholarship funds. The agreement shall be submitted to the Authority electronically. The 24
parent shall not designate any entity or individual to execute the agreement on the parent's behalf. 25
A parent or eligible student's failure to comply with this section shall result in a forfeit of 26
scholarship funds and those funds may be awarded to another eligible student. The parent shall 27
agree to the following conditions in order to receive scholarship funds under this Article: 28
... 29
(3) Use the scholarship funds deposited into a personal education student account 30
only for the following qualifying education expenses of the eligible student: 31
a. Tuition and fees for a G.S. 115C-562.5 compliant school, disbursed as 32
provided in subdivision (1) of subsection (a1) of this section. 33
b. Textbooks required by a nonpublic school. 34

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 1020-First Edition
c. Tutoring and teaching services provided by an individual or facility 1
accredited by a State, regional, or national accrediting organization. 2
d. Curricula. 3
e. Fees for nationally standardized norm-referenced achievement tests, 4
advanced placement tests, or nationally recognized college entrance 5
exams. 6
f. Fees charged to the account holder for the management of the PESA. 7
g. Fees for services provided by a public school, including individual 8
classes and extracurricular programs. 9
h. Premiums charged to the account holder for any insurance or surety 10
bonds required by the Authority. 11
i. Educational therapies from a licensed or accredited practitioner or 12
provider. 13
j. Educational technology defined by the Authority as approved for use 14
pursuant to G.S. 115C-591(2a). 15
k. Student transportation, pursuant to a contract with an entity that 16
regularly provides student transportation, to and from (i) a provider of 17
education or related services or (ii) an education activity. 18
l. Transaction or merchant fees charged to the account holder, not to 19
exceed two and one-half percent (2.5%) of the cost of the item or 20
service. 21
m. Education-related support services provided by a one-to-one 22
classroom aide to an eligible student enrolled in a Part 1 or 2 nonpublic 23
school. A one-to-one classroom aide shall not provide services to other 24
students during the instructional day. The nonpublic school in which 25
an eligible student is enrolled shall submit documentation to the 26
Authority describing the education-related support services requested 27
for an eligible student each semester in the manner prescribed by the 28
Authority. 29
(3a) Use of scholarship funds for reimbursement of tuition. – Notwithstanding 30
sub-subdivision a. of subdivision (3) of this subsection, a parent of an eligible 31
student may pay tuition to Part 1 or 2 nonpublic schools that are not 32
G.S. 115C-562.5 compliant schools with funds other than funds available in 33
the personal education student account and then request reimbursement from 34
the Authority from scholarship funds if the parent complies with the 35
provisions of subdivision (2) of subsection (a1) of this section. 36
(4) Not use scholarship funds for any of the following purposes: 37
a. Computer hardware or other technological devices not defined by the 38
Aut