North Carolina SB 754: School Calendar Flexibility:A New Alternative.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 2
SENATE BILL 754
Education/Higher Education Committee Substitute Adopted 4/9/25

Short Title: School Calendar Flexibility:A New Alternative. (Public)
Sponsors:
Referred to:
March 26, 2025
*S754-v-2*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL FLEXIBILITY TO LOCAL BOARDS OF 2
EDUCATION IN ADOPTING THE SCHOOL CALENDAR. 3
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
SECTION 1. G.S. 115C-84.2 reads as rewritten: 5
"§ 115C-84.2. School calendar. 6
... 7
(a2) Report on School Start and End Dates. – As part of the reporting requirements under 8
the Uniform Education Reporting System pursuant to G.S. 115C-12(18), annually by April 1 9
each local board of education shall report to the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the 10
State Board of Education on the start and end dates of the instructional calendar for students for 11
the next academic year. The local board of education shall report this information for each school 12
under the control of that board and shall identify the statutory exception authorizing an earlier 13
start date for all schools that start earlier than the Monday closest to August 26.authority relied 14
upon to set the dates. 15
... 16
(d) Opening and Closing Dates. – Local boards of education shall determine the dates of 17
adopt a school calendar setting the opening and closing dates for the public schools under that 18
complies with subdivision (a)(1) of this section. Except for year-round schools, the section and 19
one of the following: 20
(1) The opening date for students shall be is no earlier than the Monday closest to 21
August 26, and the closing date for students shall be is no later than the Friday 22
closest to June 11. On a showing of good cause, the State Board of Education 23
may allow the local board of education to set an opening date no earlier than 24
the Monday closest to August 19. 25
(2) The opening for students is no earlier than the Monday closest to August 19, 26
so long as there are an equal number of days in the fall and spring semesters, 27
and the closing date for students is no later than the Friday immediately 28
preceding the last Monday in May. 29
(d1) Calendar Revision. – Notwithstanding the closing date adopted in conformance with 30
subsection (d) of this section, a local board of education may, with approval of the State Board 31
of Education, revise the scheduled closing date for students if a school experiences closures 32
caused by severe weather, energy shortages, power failures, or emergencies, and additional 33
instructional time is needed to comply with minimum requirements for instructional days or 34
hours. 35

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 754-Second Edition
On a showing of good cause, the State Board of Education may waive the requirement that 1
the opening date for students be no earlier than the Monday closest to August 26 and may allow 2
the local board of education to set an opening date no earlier than the Monday closest to August 3
19, to the extent that school calendars are able to provide sufficient days to accommodate 4
anticipated makeup days due to school closings. A local board may revise the scheduled closing 5
date if necessary in order to comply with the minimum requirements for instructional days or 6
instructional time. For purposes of this subsection, the term "good cause" means that schools in 7
any local school administrative unit in a county have been closed eight days per year during any 8
four of the last 10 years because of severe weather conditions, energy shortages, power failures, 9
or other emergency situations. 10
(d2) Modified Calendars and Year-Round Schools. – The required opening and closing 11
dates under this subsection section shall not apply to (i) any school that a local board designated 12
as having a modified calendar for the 2003-2004 school year or to any school that was part of a 13
planned program in the 2003-2004 school year for a system of modified calendar schools, so long 14
as the school operates under a modified calendar.calendar and (ii) year-round schools. 15
... 16
(f) Definitions. – The following definitions shall apply in this section: 17
(1) Reserved. 18
(2) Reserved. 19
(3) Good cause. – The closure of schools in any local school administrative unit 20
in a county for eight days per year during any four of the last 10 years because 21
of severe weather conditions, energy shortages, power failures, or other 22
emergency situations. 23
...." 24
SECTION 2. Part 2 of Article 8 of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is amended 25
by adding the following new sections to read: 26
"§ 115C-84.2A. School calendar enforcement; withholding of funds. 27
(a) The State Board of Education shall ensure that local boards of education comply with 28
G.S. 115C-84.2. 29
(b) The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall notify the State Board of Education 30
and shall investigate whether the local board