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Bill

HB 878

Increased Academic Transparency.

2025-2026 Session Introduced by Hugh Blackwell and 3 co-sponsors

HB 878 requires NC public schools to post lesson plans and course materials online, with access and review options, boosting transparency for parents and the public.

Passed 1st Reading
0
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Bill Summary · HB 878

Summary — HB 878 (Increased Academic Transparency)

Status: Passed 1st Reading (House)
Introduced: (filed in 2024/2025 session)
Primary sponsors: Reps. Johnson, Blackwell, Gable, Willis (and others)

Purpose / Intent

HB 878 requires public school units in North Carolina to make lesson plans and course materials more accessible to the public. The bill is intended to increase transparency about what is being taught in K‑12 schools and to provide parents and community members a way to review materials used in instruction.

Key provisions

  • Creates a new “Academic Transparency” part in Article 7B of Chapter 115C (K‑12 statute).
  • Definitions provided (selected):
    • “Course materials” — any material used for instruction (textbooks, readings, videos, websites, digital apps, etc.).
    • “Lesson plan” — an outline of instruction that must list all course materials assigned, distributed, or presented and identify presenters for grade‑ or school‑wide events.
    • “Action‑oriented civics learning assignments or projects” — projects requiring students to contact officials, advocate for causes, or join demonstrations (included as a category of supplemental materials).
  • Posting requirements for each school (organized by subject and grade):
    • All lesson plans must be posted online no later than 10 days after the lesson was given.
    • Lesson plans must name all instructional and supplemental materials and provide electronic links when available.
    • Teacher‑created materials must be identified by author (teacher).
    • For materials not publicly available online, the plan must say how a person can request an in‑person review.
    • For assemblies/presentations held during instructional hours, lesson plans must list each presenter (name and organization) and any materials used.
  • Additional transparency items to be posted:
    • Procedures for documentation/review/approval of lesson plans and materials.
    • Procedure for requesting in‑person review of non‑public materials.
    • List of teacher and staff training materials/activities used during the current school year.
  • Access and retention:
    • Information must be accessible from the school unit’s website at all times and kept available for two calendar years after posting.
    • The State Department of Public Instruction (DPI) must provide one or more templates to assist compliance.
  • Flexibility and implementation tools:
    • Local units may use DPI templates, their own templates, collaborative online tools, or temporary LMS access.
    • To the extent allowed by FERPA, a public link may generate temporary login credentials to access an LMS for requested grade levels for at least 72 hours (available at least once per 30‑day period). This access explicitly excludes academic assessments, answer keys, student work, student performance records, and identifying student information.
  • Teacher privacy:
    • Teachers/staff may ask that only their title and last initial be posted (instead of full name).
  • Small‑school exemption:
    • Governing bodies operating schools with fewer than 30 students total are exempt.

Who is affected

  • Public school units and local boards of education (responsible for posting and maintaining materials).
  • Teachers and staff (required to document and provide lesson plan content; can request name‑display privacy).
  • Parents, students, guardians, and the general public (gain increased access to instructional content).
  • Department of Public Instruction (must provide templates and guidance).
  • Small schools (<30 students) are exempt.

Potential impact and considerations

  • Administrative and technical workload for local school units: collecting, organizing, posting lesson plans, maintaining website access, and responding to review requests.
  • DPI and districts may incur costs to create templates, provide training, and possibly expand LMS/web hosting capabilities.
  • FERPA compliance and protection of student records are built into the bill (limits on what must be shared).
  • No enforcement penalties or funding/appropriations are specified in the bill text; implementation details (timelines, monitoring, and resources) would depend on subsequent administrative actions and local district capacity.

Procedural status

  • Introduced and assigned to Education committees; passed first reading in the House (April 2025). Further committee review (Judiciary 2, Rules) and subsequent readings are required for enactment.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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