The CARDINAL Act establishes a new state program that provides an additional $1,000 to children born in North Carolina between 2025 and 2028 who receive federal contributions into a specific type of savings account known as a Trump Account. To fund this initiative, the bill redirects $192 million from the state's existing Opportunity Scholarship Grant Fund Reserve, which was originally set aside for the 2026-2027 school year. The legislation also modifies the priority order for awarding opportunity scholarships in 2026-2027, ensuring that students who received grants in the previous year are processed first if funds are insufficient to cover all applicants.
This bill requires local public school districts and charter schools in North Carolina to allow students with disabilities who attend private schools to enroll part-time in public programs. It mandates that schools create written policies permitting these students to access specific courses, services, or specialized education while remaining enrolled in their nonpublic schools. Additionally, the legislation clarifies that part-time students will not count toward a charter school's official enrollment growth numbers and provides $10,000 in funding to help schools cover the administrative costs of implementing these changes.
This bill establishes a two-year pilot program in North Carolina to test data-driven systems aimed at reducing chronic absenteeism, which currently affects one in four public school students. The Department of Public Instruction will select a single public school unit serving up to 15,000 diverse students to implement a vendor-provided platform that offers real-time monitoring, automated family communication, and targeted intervention strategies. Appropriated funds totaling $75,000 will cover technology costs, staff training, and program evaluation, with the pilot running from the 2026-2027 fiscal year through the 2027-2028 fiscal year. By the end of the program, the department must report findings on attendance improvements and operational efficiencies to determine if the initiative should be expanded statewide.
This North Carolina bill updates high school graduation requirements for mathematics by replacing a single sequence of four courses with four distinct pathways aligned to student goals. Students must complete NC Math 1, NC Math 2, and two additional math courses chosen from options like college preparatory, career and technical education, quantitative reasoning, or STEM. The law also mandates that each student's career development plan include these specific math pathways and requires the State Board of Education to finalize the course rules by July 2027. Implementation begins in the 2028-2029 school year for students entering ninth grade, with funding provided to the Department of Public Instruction for rollout.
This bill reduces the cost for North Carolina public school teachers to purchase credit for their military service. Under the new provision, eligible veterans would only need to pay 25% of the usual cost, while the state would cover the remaining 75% through general appropriations. The law applies to full-time employees of the Teachers' and State Employees' Retirement System who served in the U.S. Armed Forces and allows them to buy up to four years of service credit. These changes would take effect on July 1, 2027, for any service credit purchases made on or after that date.
SB 960 increases the funding cap for North Carolina public schools serving students with disabilities from 13% to 16% of a district's student population. The bill also creates a new High-Cost Disabilities Support Fund to provide extra reimbursement for students requiring intensive and specialized services. Starting in the 2026-2027 school year, the state will allocate approximately $97.8 million in recurring funds to help districts meet these obligations without diverting money from general classroom instruction.
This bill expands North Carolina's Opportunity Scholarship program to include students enrolled in home schools, allowing them to receive state funding for educational expenses. Under the new provisions, eligible home school students would qualify for a fixed annual grant of $1,500 to cover required costs such as books, equipment, and other materials, though the funding does not cover transportation or tuition fees. The legislation amends existing state statutes to define home schools as eligible nonpublic institutions and authorizes the State Education Assistance Authority to award these funds alongside scholarships for private school students. Funding for this expansion would be appropriated through the existing Opportunity Scholarship Grant Fund Reserve, maintaining the same income-based eligibility criteria used for other scholarship recipients.
HB 1216, the John Rollins Scholarship Protection Act, prohibits public colleges and universities in North Carolina from reducing their own financial aid awards when a student receives a private scholarship. This change directly affects students at public institutions and the private donors who provide scholarships, ensuring that private funds are not offset by institutional aid. The bill also requires state governing boards to adopt enforcement policies and report annually on financial aid data, while appropriating over $740,000 in recurring funds starting in 2026 to increase financial aid availability for students.
This bill establishes two main programs to improve mental health support in North Carolina public schools. First, it creates a grant program that provides $50 million to school districts to hire mental health professionals, prioritizing areas with students who have limited access to care. Second, it launches a loan repayment program offering $50 million to encourage mental health workers who graduated from UNC system schools to work in high-need areas by paying off up to 20% of their student debt over five years. The legislation includes reporting requirements to track how funds are used and to recommend future improvements.
This bill, titled Screen Free Schools, requires public schools in North Carolina to create policies that limit the use of wireless devices like cell phones, tablets, and laptops during instructional time. Under the new rules, students in kindergarten through eighth grade must keep these devices off at all times on school property, while high school students may only use them during specific state testing periods unless a teacher grants permission for educational or emergency reasons. The legislation includes exceptions for students who need devices for individualized education plans, medical conditions, or teacher-approved learning activities. To help schools implement these changes, the state will provide $100,000 in funding for the 2026-2027 school year, and the law takes effect on July 1, 2026.
