North Carolina HB 1061: UI Changes/Work-Sharing Funds.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 1061

Short Title: Plyler Educational Protections Act. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives Greenfield, K. Brown, Morey, and Johnson-Hostler (Primary
Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
April 28, 2026
*H1061-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO GRANT STUDENTS EQUAL ACCESS TO PUBLIC EDUCATION 2
REGARDLESS OF IMMIGRATION STATUS. 3
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
SECTION 1. Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new 5
Article to read: 6
"Article 26A. 7
"Plyler Educational Protections Act. 8
"§ 115C-386.1. Short title; purpose. 9
(a) This Article may be cited as the "Plyler Educational Protections Act." 10
(b) The purpose of the Plyler Educational Protections Act is to codify the right of every 11
child to equal access to a free public education and a school that is safe from intimidation and 12
fear, consistent with the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in Plyler v. Doe, 457 U.S. 202 13
(1982), which held that it is unconstitutional for states to deny children a free public education 14
based on immigration status in violation of the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth 15
Amendment to the United States Constitution. To promote the right to educational equality 16
established in Plyler, schools must take steps to protect the integrity of school learning 17
environments for all children, including from the threat of immigration enforcement or other law 18
enforcement activity on a school campus, so that no parent is discouraged from sending their 19
child to school and no child is discouraged from attending school. 20
(c) The provisions of this Article are severable. If any provision of this Article or its 21
application is held invalid, that invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications that can 22
be given effect without the invalid provision or application. 23
"§ 115C-386.2. Definitions. 24
As used in this Article, the following definitions apply: 25
(1) Citizenship status. – The legal classification of a person's presence in the 26
United States, whether real or perceived. 27
(2) Directory information. – Information contained in a student's educational 28
record that would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of 29
privacy if disclosed. 30
(3) Immigration authorities. – Persons representing, working for, or deputized by 31
United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or United States 32
Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and any State or local law enforcement 33
officers or employees authorized to perform immigration officer functions 34

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 1061-First Edition
pursuant to section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. § 1
1357. 2
(4) Parent. – Any of the following: 3
a. A natural, adoptive, or foster parent. 4
b. A guardian, but not the State if the child is a ward of the State. 5
c. An individual acting in the place of a natural or adoptive parent, 6
including a grandparent, stepparent, or other relative, and with whom 7
the child lives. 8
d. An individual who is legally responsible for the child's welfare. 9
e. A surrogate if one is appointed under G.S. 115C-109.2. 10
"§ 115C-386.3. All children guaranteed access to a free public education. 11
(a) Public school units shall not take any of the following actions based on the citizenship 12
status of a student or the student's parent: 13
(1) Deny a student admission to or enrollment in a public school. 14
(2) Exclude a child from participating in or benefiting from an educational 15
program or activity. 16
(3) Exclude a parent from participating in parent engagement activities or 17
programs. 18
(b) Public school units shall not adopt any policies that, either on their face or in practice, 19
differentiate between students based on citizenship status. 20
(c) If a student experiences disruptions to instruction as a result of immigration 21
enforcement actions, a school shall make its best efforts to develop an alternate instruction plan 22
for the student. 23
"§ 115C-386.4. Information privacy. 24
(a) A public school unit shall not take any of the following actions, except as provided in 25
subsection (b) of this section: 26
(1) Inquire about or require documentation of the citizenship status of a student 27
or the student's parent or the manner in which a student or the student's parent 28
entered the country. 29
(2) Include citizenship status, place of birth, or national origin in student directory 30
information. 31
(3) Disclose any information collected about the place of birth, national origin, or 32
citizenship status of a student or the student's parent to any immigration 33
authority, law enforcement, nongovernmental entity, or individual person. 34
(b) A public school unit may take an action listed in sub