Title 15.1 — Elementary and Secondary Education

1. A student voluntarily may pray aloud or participate in religious speech at any time before, during, or after the schoolday to the same extent a student voluntarily may speak or participate in secular speech. 2. A student of a public or nonpublic school may not be prohibited fr…

At the request of a student's parent or guardian, the student's school principal shall permit a student to be excused for up to one hour each week in order to obtain religious instruction.

No person while acting in an official capacity as an employee or agent of a school district may distribute a birth control device to a student. This section does not apply to the distribution of a birth control device by an employee or agent to a child of that employee or agent.

1. No person while acting in an official capacity as an employee or agent of a school district may refer a student to another person, agency, or entity for the purpose of obtaining an abortion. This provision does not extend to private communications between the employee or agent…

The board of a school district may contract with licensed health care personnel to assist in the detection and eradication of communicable parasites.

1. A homeless child is entitled to a free public school education, in the same manner as that provided to other public school students, in accordance with the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act [Pub. L. 100-77; 101 Stat. 525; 42 U.S.C. 11431 et seq.]. 2. A school distric…

1. The board of a school district shall adopt rules regarding the suspension and expulsion of a student. The rules for expulsion must provide for a procedural due process hearing under subsection 2 of section 15.1-19-10 before the determination to expel a student is made. A stude…

1. The board of each school district shall adopt a policy governing the possession of weapons and firearms on school property or at a school function and provide for the punishment of any student found to be in violation of the policy. 2. The policy must: a. Prohibit the possessi…

The board of a school district or the governing body of a nonpublic school may authorize a school principal or administrator to establish a safety patrol and to appoint students to the safety patrol. Any student enrolled in grade five or higher is eligible for appointment to a sa…

The superintendent of public instruction, schools, school boards and individual school board members, governing boards and individual governing board members, administrators, principals, teachers, safety patrol members whether students or adults, and parents of safety patrol stud…

1. A school may create or designate a school law enforcement unit as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act [20 U.S.C. 1232(g)] and rules adopted under the Act. Records of a school law enforcement unit regarding a student at a school are confidential but may be …

Records regarding a student obtained by a school under section 15.1-19-14, section 27-20.2-21, or section 27-20.4-21 must be destroyed when the student reaches the age of eighteen or no longer attends the school, whichever occurs later. 15.1-19-16. Asthma - Anaphylaxis - Self-adm…

As used in sections 15.1-19-17 through 15.1-19-22: 1. "Bullying" means: a. Conduct that occurs in a public school, on school district premises, in a district owned or leased schoolbus or school vehicle, or at any public school or school district sanctioned or sponsored activity o…

1. Each school district shall adopt a policy providing that while at a public school, on school district premises, in a district owned or leased schoolbus or school vehicle, or at any public school or school district sanctioned or sponsored activity or event, a student may not: a…

Repealed by S.L. 2017, ch. 350, § 6.

Each school district shall provide bullying prevention programs to all students from kindergarten through grade twelve.

1. Sections 15.1-19-17 through 15.1-19-22 do not prevent a victim from seeking redress pursuant to any other applicable civil or criminal law. Sections 15.1-19-17 through 15.1-19-22 do not create or alter any civil cause of action for monetary damages against any person or school…

1. Sections 15.1-19-17 through 15.1-19-22 do not prevent a victim from seeking redress pursuant to any other applicable civil or criminal law. Sections 15.1-19-17 through 15.1-19-22 do not create or alter any civil cause of action for monetary damages against any person or nonpub…

1. As used in this section, "COVID-19" means: a. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 identified as SARS-CoV-2; and b. Any disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 identified as SARS-CoV-2. 2. Subject to subsection 3, the superintendent of publ…

Repealed by S.L. 2017, ch. 350, § 6.

1. As used in this section: a. "Protected activity" means an expression of free speech or freedom of the press. b. "School-sponsored media" means any material that is prepared, substantially written, published, or broadcast by a student journalist at a public school, distributed …

1. The state educational agency, or local educational agency that receives federal funds under section 8546 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act [20 U.S.C. 7926] shall prohibit any individual who is a school employee, contractor, or agent, or any state educational agency…

Any individual who is a school district employee, contractor, or agent convicted of aiding and abetting sexual abuse as described in section 15.1-19-26 is guilty of a class B misdemeanor. 15.1-19-28. Dress code - Inclusion of traditional tribal regalia and objects of cultural sig…

Repealed by S.L. 2025, ch. 171, § 2.

1. As used in this section: a. "Responsible student" means a student enrolled in a school who is an adjudicated juvenile or an adult convicted of committing a sexual offense upon another student enrolled in the same school. b. "Sexual offense" means an offense under chapter 12.1-…

1. Any person having responsibility for a child between the ages of seven and sixteen years shall ensure the child attends a public school for the duration of each school year. 2. If a person enrolls a child of age six in a public school, the person shall ensure the child attends…

1. Section 15.1-20-01 does not apply if the person having responsibility for the child demonstrates to the satisfaction of the school board that: a. The child is in attendance for the same length of time at an approved nonpublic school; b. The child has completed high school; c. …

1. To be deemed in attendance for purposes of this chapter, a student may not be absent from school without excuse for more than: a. Three consecutive school days during either the first half or the second half of a school or school district's calendar; b. Six half days during ei…

1. Each teacher and administrator is charged with the enforcement of compulsory attendance provisions. The compulsory attendance provisions are applicable to any student who is offered school facilities by a school district, regardless of whether or not the student actually resid…

Each school district and nonpublic school shall submit data regarding school attendance and the application of this chapter to the superintendent of public instruction at the time and in the manner directed by the superintendent.

The superintendent of public instruction shall disseminate to school districts and nonpublic schools information regarding truancy prevention and intervention programs and research pertaining to best practices in truancy prevention efforts.

For purposes of this chapter, "home education" means a program of education supervised by a child's parent in accordance with chapter 15.1-23.

Except as provided in section 15.1-21-02.3 or as otherwise agreed to in the compact on educational opportunity for military children, before a school district, a nonpublic high school, or the center for distance education issues a high school diploma to a student, the student mus…

A resident student who meets the requirements of section 15.1-21-02.6 is eligible to receive a North Dakota scholarship if the student: 1. Completed an individual consultative process or a nine-week course under subsection 2 of section 15.1-21-18; 2. Completed the civics test und…

1. Except as provided in section 15.1-21-02.3 and subsection 2, the following twenty-two units of high school coursework constitute the minimum requirement for high school graduation: a. Four units of English language arts from a sequence that includes literature, composition, an…

1. If after completing at least two years of high school, a student has failed to pass at least one-half unit from three subdivisions in subsection 1 of section 15.1-21-02.2, has failed to demonstrate proficiency in a standards-based grading system, or has a grade point average a…

Repealed by S.L. 2021, ch. 159, § 10.

Repealed by S.L. 2021, ch. 159, § 10. 15.1-21-02.6. North Dakota scholarship - Amount - Applicability. (Effective through July 31, 2030) 1. a. The state board of higher education shall provide to any student certified as being eligible by the superintendent of public instruction …

Each school district shall use North Dakota eTranscripts, or an alternative information system designated by the information technology department in collaboration with the department of public instruction, to submit official transcripts for the North Dakota scholarship to the su…

1. Except as provided in subsection 2, each unit must consist of at least one hundred twenty hours of student engagement per school calendar. 2. The following units must consist of at least one hundred fifty hours of student engagement per school calendar: natural sciences, agric…

1. Except as otherwise provided in this section, each student shall enroll in at least four units of high school work in each grade from nine through twelve. 2. A student in grade twelve may enroll in fewer than four units of work, provided: a. The student requires fewer than fou…

The superintendent of public instruction may develop an Indian education curriculum to be implemented within the minimum curriculum requirements for elementary and secondary schools. The superintendent shall provide for continuing research and evaluation and for inservice trainin…

Each school district and public school shall ensure instruction of its curriculum is factual, objective, and aligned to the kindergarten through grade twelve state content standards. A school district or public school may not include instruction relating to critical race theory i…

Repealed by S.L. 2021, ch. 139, § 1.

Before an elementary or secondary school student may participate in any course, program, or project offered under the auspices of the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 [Pub. L. 103-239; 108 Stat. 568; 20 U.S.C. 2394 et seq.], the student's school principal shall obtain the…

1. The superintendent of public instruction shall administer to public school students a test that is aligned to the state content and achievement standards in reading and mathematics. This test must be administered annually to all public school students in grades three, four, fi…

1. A student's parent may direct the school district in which the student is enrolled not to administer to the student any state test or state assessment required in accordance with section 15.1-21-08. 2. In addition to the authority granted under subsection 1, a student's parent…

The superintendent of public instruction shall arrange for the compilation of test scores in a manner that indicates achievement and allows a comparison of individual students, classrooms within a given school and school district, schools within the state, and school districts wi…

Upon receiving notice that the compilation of test scores has been completed, the superintendent of public instruction shall inform the legislative council. The superintendent shall present the test scores publicly for the first time at a meeting of a legislative committee design…

The superintendent of public instruction shall require that the entity developing a test to be administered under section 15.1-21-08 not include questions that might be deemed personal to a student or to the student's family and that the entity developing the test not include que…