SB 2043 amends North Dakota law to require immediate revocation of a teaching license for educators convicted of crimes against children or sexual offenses. The bill directly affects current and future teachers who face such convictions, removing the previous requirement for a separate license review process. Key provisions change Section 15.1-13-26 of the North Dakota Century Code to mandate automatic license revocation upon conviction for these specific crimes. The law, signed by the Governor on March 14, 2025, takes effect immediately upon conviction, ensuring educators convicted of these offenses can no longer teach without further administrative delay.
HB 1357 amends North Dakota law to strengthen student data privacy protections for school districts. It requires school boards to adopt written policies mandating permission from the board before sharing student data with non-employees (except parents or as legally required), allowing data sharing with state entities only through formal agreements, and requiring districts to maintain and publicly provide lists of all individuals and personnel with data access. The law directly affects all North Dakota public school districts by establishing clear, enforceable rules for handling student information. These provisions aim to increase transparency and control over how student data is used and shared.
HB 1178 requires North Dakota school districts to create policies allowing students who are qualified voters (18+ and registered) to leave campus during school hours to vote in elections. The policy must include conditions like time limits for absence or designated voting periods. This law directly affects high school students eligible to vote, enabling them to participate in elections without missing class. The bill became effective after being signed by the Governor on March 14, 2025. It establishes a concrete requirement for school districts to facilitate student voting access.
HB 1472 would have created a legal framework for microschools in North Dakota - defined as educational programs serving no more than 50 students, operated by parents, entrepreneurs, or teachers. The bill would have allowed microschools to operate in homes, community spaces, or public venues without special zoning approvals, while exempting them from standard teacher certification, building codes, and childcare regulations. Parents would have needed to notify school districts of their child’s enrollment, but students would have still met school attendance requirements and been required to take standardized tests in grades 4, 6, 8, and 10. The bill also ensured microschool students could not face discrimination in public school admissions or activities. (Note: The bill failed to pass in February 2025 with 41 votes in favor and 49 against.)
HB 1244 would create a North Dakota income tax credit for parents who home-educate their children. It allows taxpayers to claim a credit of up to $10,000 per qualifying child annually (or $5,000 for married filers filing separately) for qualified educational expenses like books, tuition, computers, and software. To qualify, the child must be a dependent under 19, home-educated under North Dakota law, and the expenses must be directly related to home education. The credit would apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2024, and cannot exceed the taxpayer’s total income tax liability. This bill directly affects North Dakota parents who homeschool their children and choose to claim this tax benefit.
HB 1569 requires North Dakota public school districts to provide sex trafficking awareness and prevention instruction to all students at least once before graduating high school, starting in the 2027-28 school year. The bill mandates that curriculum must cover victim demographics, accurate definitions of trafficking, reporting systems, risk identification, and recognizing grooming signs, while including medically and legally accurate information. School districts must use curriculum approved by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the instruction may be integrated into existing courses starting in grade seven. The bill directly affects all K-12 students and school districts in North Dakota through mandatory curriculum implementation.
HB 1456 would establish a framework for certified chaplains in North Dakota public schools, allowing school districts to hire or volunteer certified chaplains (defined as those certified by national/state organizations or endorsed by religious groups) to provide support to students, staff, or parents. The bill requires background checks for all chaplains, prohibits individuals required to register as sex offenders from serving, and protects chaplains from liability unless actions were maliciously intended to harm. It allocates $500,000 from the state general fund for 2025-2027 to cover chaplain salaries, training, oversight, and program evaluation, with districts limited to $200,000 per school. The bill directly affects public school districts, chaplains, and students/staff seeking spiritual support, while exempting chaplains from standard education licensing requirements.
HB 1100 allocates $6 million from North Dakota's general fund to reimburse school districts for unpaid meal debt (outstanding charges for free or reduced-price meals) incurred before June 30, 2025. It directly affects school districts with delinquent meal debt by allowing the state to cover these costs using funds that can roll over into the 2025-2027 budget cycle. The bill requires the state superintendent to distribute reimbursements based on each district's share of statewide unpaid debt, capped at the district's actual debt amount. A legislative management report must detail the funds used, total debt by district, and reimbursement amounts.
Relating to establishing a grant program for the education of nonbeneficiary students attending tribally controlled schools; and to amend and reenact section 54‑40.2‑02 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to authorization for public agencies and tribes to enter an agreement.
HB 1358 proposes creating a new legal framework for public charter schools in North Dakota. It would require the state education official to develop application processes, review charter requests, set annual limits (12 schools for 2025-26, increasing to 15 later), and manage funding based on student enrollment. The bill mandates charter schools to follow state assessments, prohibits charging tuition or licensing to others, and requires community representation on school boards. It also specifies that charter schools would receive state per-student funding but not local tax revenue, and would be eligible for federal funding.
