North Carolina HB 878: Increased Academic Transparency.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 878

Short Title: Increased Academic Transparency. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives Johnson, Blackwell, Gable, and Willis (Primary Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Education - K-12, if favorable, Judiciary 2, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and
Operations of the House
April 10, 2025
*H878-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR INCREASED PUBLIC ACCESS TO LESSON PLANS AND 2
OTHER INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 3
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
SECTION 1.(a) Article 7B of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is amended by 5
adding a new Part to read: 6
"Part 7. Academic Transparency. 7
"§ 115C-76.75. Inform the public about course materials. 8
(a) The following definitions apply in this section: 9
(1) Action-oriented civics learning assignments or projects. – Assignments or 10
projects that require students to contact elected officials or advocate for a 11
political or social cause or to participate in political or social demonstrations. 12
(2) Course materials. – Any material used for instruction in a course, including, 13
but not limited to, all instructional materials, supplemental materials, 14
textbooks, other reading materials, videos, digital materials, websites, and 15
other online applications. 16
(3) Instructional materials. – Systematically organized material comprehensive 17
enough to cover the primary objectives outlined in the standard course of 18
study for a grade or course. Formats for instructional materials may be print 19
or nonprint, including hardbound books, softbound books, activity-oriented 20
programs, classroom kits, or digital resources that require the use of electronic 21
equipment in order to be used in the learning process. 22
(4) Lesson plan. – An outline of all of the following: 23
a. The instruction provided by a teacher for a course that includes a list 24
of (i) all course materials assigned, distributed, or otherwise presented 25
in the course and (ii) when students must select course materials from 26
a defined list, all course materials on that list. 27
b. Each grade- or school-wide presentation, assembly, lecture, or other 28
activity or event facilitated by the school during instructional hours 29
outside of an individual teacher's classroom, excluding student 30
presentations. The outline shall include a list of (i) each presenter by 31
name and organization and (ii) any course material used or presented. 32
(5) Supplemental materials. – Educational materials that supplement specific 33
instruction for the standard course of study selected and procured by a local 34

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 878-First Edition
board of education for a grade or course or general education needs of the 1
school. Supplemental materials may include textbooks, library books, 2
periodicals, audiovisual materials, action-oriented civics learning assignments 3
or projects, and other supplemental instructional materials needed for 4
instructional purposes in the local school administrative unit. Supplemental 5
materials may be print or nonprint, including hardbound books, softbound 6
books, activity-oriented programs, classroom kits, or digital resources that 7
require the use of electronic equipment in order to be used in the learning 8
process. 9
(b) The governing body of a public school unit shall ensure that the following information 10
for each school it governs is prominently displayed on the school website, organized, at a 11
minimum, by subject area and grade level: 12
(1) All lesson plans used shall be posted online no later than 10 days after the 13
lesson was given. Lesson plans shall include the following, at a minimum: 14
a. The names of all instructional and supplemental materials used by the 15
school with an electronic link to the instructional materials website. 16
b. Any other course materials used in a course, organized by title, and the 17
author, organization, or website associated with each material and 18
activity. These course materials shall include materials created by the 19
teacher, with the teacher identified as the author. The lesson plan shall 20
include a brief descriptor of the course materials and a link to the 21
course material, if publicly available on the internet, or information on 22
how to request review of a copy of the course material in person. 23
Nothing in this section shall be construed to require the digital 24
reproduction or posting of copies of the course materials themselves. 25
(2) For all public school units, any procedures for the documentation, review, or 26
approval of the lesson plans, including course materials identified in those 27
plans, by the principal, curriculum administrators, or other teachers. 28
(3) For all public school units, the procedure established by the governing board 29
for requesting an in-perso