As the NC House’s April 10th filing deadline loomed, numerous new bills affecting public schools were introduced this week in that chamber, and House and Senate education committees both met and approved more K-12 legislation.
The House K-12 Education Committee met on Tuesday and approved the following:

• H328, Ban Delta-8 & Delta-9 on School Grounds - Prohibits the use of consumable hemp products by any person in public school buildings and private schools accepting public funds and on any other school property owned or operated by the school. Hemp products include substances commonly known as "delta-8," "delta-9," and "CBD." Defines tobacco products to include vapor products (vapes).
   
• H610, Study on Year-Round School - Requires the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to conduct a survey on the feasibility of having year-round schools in each local school administrative unit. DPI is required to report the results of the study and any legislative or budgetary recommendations to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee no later than January 15, 2027.
   
• H107, Adopt SUDEP Awareness Week - Designates the week beginning on the second Sunday in November of each year as Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) Awareness Week, and would encourage local boards of education to develop and provide training for school personnel that are responsible for students with epilepsy or otherwise predisposed to seizures.
   
• H329, Tobacco and Hemp on Nonpublic School Grounds - Encourages all private church schools, schools of religious charters, and qualified nonpublic schools to adopt a policy prohibiting the use of tobacco products and hemp-derived consumable products on school grounds.
   
• H637, Community of Practice ATR Supplement - Provides flexibility to Pitt County Schools regarding advanced teaching roles salary supplements for schools participating in the community of practice model. Specifies that for the $10,000 salary supplement for adult leadership teachers, an ATR unit can divide the salary supplement between the adult leadership teacher and collaborating teachers participating in the R3 Program Community of Practice model.

 
The Senate Education/Higher Education Committee met on Wednesday and approved the following:

• S754: School Calendar Flexibility: A New Alternative - See separate article for summary.
   
• S449, Fiscal Responsibility and K-20 Tech Planning - Requires all public school units, community colleges, and constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina to evaluate long-term costs when buying new technology. Public school units would also be required to report on the break/fix rate of school technology devices.
   
• S508, LL to CPL, Apprentice Program – Waives the licensure exam requirements for a teacher with a limited license (LL) who has available growth data under EVAAS and a positive growth score for two of the three most recent years for which growth scores are available; directs the State Board of Education to convert those limited licenses to a continuing professional license (CPL); establishes a Teacher Apprenticeship Program as a competitive grant program to increase the number of professionally licensed teachers in the state; requires the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to administer the program in collaboration with ApprenticeshipNC; directs the first RFP to be issued by Nov. 1, 2025, with applications to established apprenticeship programs beginning in the 2026-27 school year; and repeals GS 115C-269.32, the Teacher Apprentice Grant Program, and shifts its $1 million in recurring funds to this new apprenticeship initiative.

These K-12 bills in both chambers now move on for additional debate by other committees before being considered on the floor of their originating chamber.