Chapter 115C

(a) All students suspended for 365 days or expelled may, after 180 calendar days from the date of the beginning of the student's suspension or expulsion, request in writing readmission to the public school unit. The governing body of the public school unit shall develop and publi…

(a) Governing bodies of public school units, in consultation with teachers, school-based administrators, parents, and local law enforcement agencies, shall adopt policies to govern the conduct of students and establish procedures to be followed by school officials in disciplining…

(a) School personnel may use physical restraint only in accordance with G.S. 115C-391.1. (b) School personnel may use reasonable force to control behavior or to remove a person from the scene in those situations when necessary for any of the following reasons: (1) To correct stud…

(a) Each governing body of a public school unit shall determine whether corporal punishment will be permitted in its public school unit. Notwithstanding a governing body's prohibition on the use of corporal punishment, school personnel may use physical restraint in accordance wit…

(a) The principal may impose short-term suspension on a student who willfully engages in conduct that violates the Code of Student Conduct authorizing short-term suspension. (b) Repealed by Session Laws 2025-25, s. 36.1(b), effective June 26, 2025. (c) A student subject to short-…

(a) Except as authorized in this section, no short-term suspension shall be imposed upon a student without first providing the student an opportunity for an informal hearing with the principal. The notice to the student of the charges may be oral or written, and the hearing may b…

(a) A principal may recommend to the superintendent the long-term suspension of any student who willfully engages in conduct that violates a provision of the Code of Student Conduct that authorizes long-term suspension. Only the superintendent has the authority to long-term suspe…

(a) When a student is recommended by the principal for long-term suspension, the principal shall give written notice to the student's parent. The notice shall be provided to the student's parent by the end of the workday during which the suspension was recommended when reasonably…

(a) Students who are long-term suspended shall be offered alternative education services unless the superintendent provides a significant or important reason for declining to offer such services. The following may be significant or important reasons, depending on the circumstance…

(a) It is the policy of the State of North Carolina to: (1) Promote safety and prevent harm to all students, staff, and visitors in the public schools. (2) Treat all public school students with dignity and respect in the delivery of discipline, use of physical restraints or seclu…

(a) Policies adopted by governing bodies of public school units governing searches of a student's person or property shall be consistent with the provisions of this Article and the constitutions, statutes, and regulations of the United States and the State of North Carolina. All …

Appeals of disciplinary measures are subject to the provisions of G.S. 115C-45(c). (1981, c. 423, s. 1.) §

If, after a teacher has requested assistance from the principal two or more times due to a student's disruptive behavior, the teacher finds that the student's disruptive behavior continues to interfere with the academic achievement of that student or other students in the class, …

Students and their parents or legal guardians may be liable for damage to school buildings, furnishings and textbooks pursuant to the provisions of G.S. 115C-523, 115C-100 and 14-132. (1981, c. 423, s. 1; 1985, c. 581, s. 3.)

Any person who willfully trespasses upon or damages a school bus may be liable pursuant to the provisions of G.S. 14-132.2. (1981, c. 423, s. 1.)

Meetings of governmental bodies held pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter must be in conformity with the requirements of Article 33C of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes. (1981, c. 423, s. 1.)

The board of education of each county in the State shall be a body corporate by the name and style of "The ______ County Board of Education," and the board of education of each city administrative school unit in the State shall be a body corporate by the name and style of "The __…

Any person who has cause to suspect child abuse or neglect has a duty to report the case of the child to the Director of Social Services of the county, as provided in Article 3 of Chapter 7B of the General Statutes. (1981, c. 423, s. 1; 1998-202, s. 13(bb).)

Information given to a school counselor to enable him to render counseling services may be privileged as provided in G.S. 8-53.4. (1981, c. 423, s. 1.)

(a) It is unlawful for a person who enters into a contract with a local board of education or its designee to sell any personally identifiable information that is obtained from a student as a result of the person's performance under the contract. This prohibition does not apply i…

(a) Definitions. - The following definitions apply in this section: (1) Covered information. - Personally identifiable information or material in any media or format that is any of the following: a. Created by or provided to an operator by a student, or the student's parent or le…

(a) The official record of each student enrolled in North Carolina public schools shall be permanently maintained in the files of the appropriate school after the student graduates, or should have graduated, from high school unless the local board determines that such files may b…

(a) Annual Parental Notification. - Local boards of education shall annually provide parents, by a method reasonably designed to provide actual notice, information on parental rights under State and federal law with regards to student records and opt-out opportunities for disclos…

(a) Definitions. - The following definitions apply in this section: (1) Aggregate student data. - Data collected or reported at the group, cohort, or institutional level. (2) De-identified student data. - A student dataset in which parent and student personal or indirect identifi…

(a) Upon notification by a law enforcement agency or the North Carolina Center for Missing Persons of a child's disappearance, the superintendent of a local school administrative unit or his designee shall flag or mark the record of any child who is currently or was previously en…

(a) Written notifications received in accordance with G.S. 7B-3101 and information gained from examination of juvenile records in accordance with G.S. 7B-3100 are confidential records, are not public records as defined under G.S. 132-1, and shall not be made part of the student's…

(a) Not later than August 1, 2008, local boards of education shall adopt, implement, and enforce a written policy prohibiting at all times the use of any tobacco product by any person in school buildings, in school facilities, on school campuses, and in or on any other school pro…

(a) The following definitions apply in this Part: (1) Children of inactive members. - School-aged children, enrolled in kindergarten through twelfth grade, in the household of an inactive member. (2) Inactive member. - A member of the National Guard and Reserve of any branch of t…

(a) As used in this Article, "bullying or harassing behavior" is any pattern of gestures or written, electronic, or verbal communications, or any physical act or any threatening communication, that takes place on school property, at any school-sponsored function, or on a school b…

(a) Before December 31, 2009, each local school administrative unit shall adopt a policy prohibiting bullying or harassing behavior. (b) The policy shall contain, at a minimum, the following components: (1) A statement prohibiting bullying or harassing behavior. (2) A definition …

Schools shall develop and implement methods and strategies for promoting school environments that are free of bullying or harassing behavior. (2009-212, s. 1; 2009-570, s. 39.)

(a) This Article shall not be construed to permit school officials to punish student expression or speech based on an undifferentiated fear or apprehension of disturbance or out of a desire to avoid the discomfort and unpleasantness that always accompany an unpopular viewpoint. (…

(a) A student shall be permitted to voluntarily do any of the following: (1) Pray, either silently or audibly and alone or with other students, to the same extent and under the same circumstances as a student is permitted to vocally or silently reflect, meditate, or speak on nonr…

(a) The local board of education may establish or make available an existing formal grievance process to allow students or the parents or guardians of students to present allegations that a right established under this Article has been violated by a public school. The formal grie…

(a) Nothing in this Article shall be construed to support, encourage, or permit a teacher, administrator, or other employee of the local board of education to lead, direct, or encourage any religious or antireligious activity in violation of that portion of the First Amendment of…

This Article shall not be construed to direct any local board of education to take any action in violation of the Constitution of North Carolina or the United States. The specification of rights in this Article shall not be construed to exclude or limit religious liberty or free …

A student that is, or is eligible to be, enrolled as a member of a State or federally recognized Indian Tribe shall be allowed to wear objects of cultural significance as part of the student's regalia at any graduation ceremony for a school within a public school unit in which th…

The Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children is hereby enacted into law and entered into with all jurisdictions legally joining therein in the form substantially as follows: ARTICLE I. PURPOSE. It is the purpose of this compact to remove barriers to edu…

The following definitions apply in this Article: (1) Administering organization. - A nonprofit organization that has entered into and is in compliance with a memorandum of understanding with the Superintendent of Public Instruction to administer and enforce the adopted rules and …

The State Board of Education shall adopt rules governing high school interscholastic athletic activities conducted by public school units that include the following: (1) Student participation rules. - These rules shall govern student eligibility to participate in interscholastic …

(a) For the purpose of this section, a concussion is a traumatic brain injury caused by a direct or indirect impact to the head that results in disruption of normal brain function which may or may not result in loss of consciousness. (b) With regard to middle schools and high sch…

(a) With regard to middle schools and high schools, the State Board of Education shall adopt a rule that requires each school to develop a venue-specific emergency action plan to deal with serious injuries and acute medical conditions in which the condition of the patient may det…

(a) All teams participating in interscholastic or intramural athletic activities shall comply with the following: (1) Each team shall be expressly designated by the biological sex of the team participants as one of the following: a. Males, men, or boys. b. Females, women, or girl…

The State Board of Education shall establish a State Council, as required by Article VIII of the compact. The membership of the State Council shall include, at a minimum, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, a superintendent of a local school administrative unit with a high …

(a) The Superintendent of Public Instruction may enter into a memorandum of understanding for a term of four years with one or more nonprofit organizations to administer and enforce the requirements of this Article and the rules adopted by the State Board for interscholastic athl…

(a) If the Superintendent of Public Instruction enters into a memorandum of understanding with a nonprofit organization as provided in G.S. 115C-407.60, the memorandum shall require that organization to do the following in accordance with the requirements of this Article to maint…

(a) All public school units with participating schools shall conduct high school interscholastic athletic activities in accordance with the rules adopted by the State Board of Education and as administered and enforced by either an administering organization that is in compliance…

As required by Article VIII of the compact, the Governor shall appoint as compact commissioner an individual who represents at least one local board of education with a high concentration of military children. The compact commissioner shall be responsible for the administration a…

(a) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules governing middle school interscholastic athletic activities conducted by public school units consistent with the requirements of G.S. 115C-407.55 for student participation rules, student health and safety rules, penalty rules, ap…

(a) Each public school unit with one or more participating schools shall annually report by June 15 the following information to the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the State Board of Education: (1) The total dollar amount spent on interscholastic athletic activities, by…