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HB 605

Prohibited Uses of Public Funds by Political Subdivisions

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Kevin Steele

Public schools must implement multidisciplinary threat assessment teams and policies to identify, evaluate, and respond to threatening behavior, including staff training and privac

Now in Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee
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Bill Summary · HB 605

HB 605 — School Threat Assessment Teams (North Carolina, SL 2023-78)

Status: Enacted (Session Law 2023‑78); signed by Governor July 7, 2023
Statutory location: Adds G.S. 115C‑105.65 to Article 8C (Maintaining Safe and Orderly Schools)

Purpose / Intent

The act requires public school units to adopt multidisciplinary threat‑assessment systems and related safety practices to identify, evaluate, and manage threatening behavior in schools; to expand preventative counseling and reporting mechanisms; and to clarify roles for the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and other entities in school safety policy and data collection.

Key provisions

  • Definitions: Establishes terms such as “threat assessment,” “threat assessment team,” and “threatening behavior.”
  • Center for Safer Schools guidance: Directs the Center to develop statewide guidance and best practices for threat assessment teams, drawing on existing models and consulting stakeholders (Task Force for Safer Schools, School Psychology Association, State Bureau of Investigation, Disability Rights NC, etc.). Guidance must comply with FERPA/IDEA and not disclose statutorily protected records.
  • Local policy requirements: Each public school unit’s governing body must adopt policies for creating and operating threat assessment teams; policies should differentiate elementary/middle/high school practices as appropriate and a copy must be sent to the Center.
  • Threat assessment teams: Superintendents must establish a multidisciplinary team for each school (or teams that serve multiple schools). Team composition should include, when practicable:
    • a school psychologist (or licensed mental health professional if no school psychologist is available),
    • staff experienced with students with special needs/disabilities,
    • members with expertise in counseling, instruction, administration, and law enforcement.
  • Records and privacy: Non‑employee team members may review student records under FERPA (34 C.F.R. §99.31(a)(1)(i)(B)) via written agreement; teams must follow FERPA/IDEA confidentiality rules.
  • Duties and responses: Teams must train staff/students on reporting, maintain written assessment/response policies, use anonymous reporting apps, and — when a credible threat is found — may recommend mental‑health referrals, notify affected individuals/parents (in compliance with FERPA), and notify local law enforcement when appropriate.
  • Related measures (summary statement in the law): Establishes peer‑to‑peer counseling, clarifies DPI’s role on school crisis kits placement/content, expands law enforcement access and school safety exercise data collection from “traditional” schools to all public school units.

Who is affected

  • All public school units in North Carolina (local education agencies and charter schools categorized as public school units)
  • School administrators, teachers, counselors, school psychologists, law enforcement partners
  • Students and parents/guardians
  • Local mental‑health providers and the Center for Safer Schools

Implementation notes & impacts

  • Requires local adoption of policies and establishment of teams; exact costs (training, staffing, technology for reporting) are borne locally unless funded separately.
  • Emphasizes multidisciplinary, mental‑health‑informed responses and parental involvement, while preserving student privacy under federal law.
  • Expands formalized law‑enforcement involvement options and reporting/data collection responsibilities, which may affect district protocols and resource needs.

For details on statutory text and implementation steps, see G.S. 115C‑105.65 and the Center for Safer Schools guidance materials developed under the act.

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

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