Heather Rhyne

NC Senate advances public sleeping restrictions

North Carolina lawmakers are advancing legislation that would restrict sleeping and camping on public property while creating a limited framework for cities and counties to establish regulated camping sites under state oversight.

Annie Dance

NC House committee backs attendance pilot as chair faults state board

The NC House Education Committee on May 19 advanced a two-year, $75,000 pilot directing the Department of Public Instruction to pick one school district to test technology that flags chronically absent students and automatically alerts their families.

Bipartisan child care bill targets workforce pipeline, insurance costs

A bipartisan House bill would spend nearly $17 million to expand child care workforce training, behavioral health supports, and insurance study efforts.

Andrew Pomeranz

Bill would make community college free for children of public safety workers

House and Senate lawmakers propose tuition-free community college for children of long-serving firefighters, law enforcement, and correctional officers.

Andrew Pomeranz

Chapel Hill-Carrboro parent group pushes back on classroom tech as state tightens rules

Claude responded: A new state law banning smartphones during instructional time took effect Jan.A new state law banning smartphones during instructional time took effect Jan. 1 in North Carolina, but a Chapel Hill-Carrboro parent group of more than 300 members says the bigger problem is the school-issued Chromebooks kids bring home. Founder Mary Beth Roche and UNC public health professor Karl Johnson argue district policy is moving too slowly and too narrowly, while a new UNC study shows uneven enforcement of the cellphone ban statewide and growing distraction from school-issued devices.

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NC lawmakers weigh expanding teacher mentorship, pay programs

NC lawmakers heard testimony March 31 on Advanced Teaching Roles, a program allowing high-performing teachers to earn up to $21,000 more annually to lead instructional teams, which has reached more than 600 schools but left 16 qualified districts on a waiting list due to insufficient funding.

UNC study: Uneven enforcement on school smartphone ban

NC middle schoolers are still widely using smartphones in class despite a state law requiring bans, with enforcement uneven and more than a third of students using workarounds to bypass school filters.

Parents’ battle with Charlotte private school reaches top NC court

North Carolina’s highest court will decide whether parents can proceed with a lawsuit against the Charlotte private school that expelled their children in 2021.

Turpins respond to private school groups, Catholic Diocese at top NC court

Parents suing a Charlotte private school over the expulsion of their two children responded this week to court filings from the local Catholic Diocese and state and regional groups representing independent schools. Oral arguments are scheduled Oct. 29 at the North Carolina Supreme Court.

Court filings lead up to Oct. 29 NC Supreme Court arguments in Turpin case

Parents challenging a Charlotte private school’s decision to expel their two children continue to present legal arguments in filings at the North Carolina Supreme Court. The high court is scheduled to hear oral arguments on Oct. 29.

Catholic diocese adds First Amendment argument to Turpin case

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte offered a First Amendment argument Monday while supporting a private school in a case at North Carolina's highest court. Two parents are suing the school over its expulsion of two students in 2021. The state Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments on Oct. 29 in the case Turpin v. Charlotte Latin Schools.