AN ACT to provide for increased public access to lesson plans and other instructional materials in public schools.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.(a)  Article 7B of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new Part to read:

Part 7. Academic Transparency.

§ 115C‑76.75.  Inform the public about course materials.

(a)        The following definitions apply in this section:

(1)        Action‑oriented civics learning assignments or projects. – Assignments or projects that require students to contact elected officials or advocate for a political or social cause or to participate in political or social demonstrations.

(2)        Course materials. – Any material used for instruction in a course, including, but not limited to, all instructional materials, supplemental materials, textbooks, other reading materials, videos, digital materials, websites, and other online applications.

(3)        Instructional materials. – Systematically organized material comprehensive enough to cover the primary objectives outlined in the standard course of study for a grade or course. Formats for instructional materials may be print or nonprint, including hardbound books, softbound books, activity‑oriented programs, classroom kits, or digital resources that require the use of electronic equipment in order to be used in the learning process.

(4)        Lesson plan. – An outline of all of the following:

a.         The instruction provided by a teacher for a course that includes a list of (i) all course materials assigned, distributed, or otherwise presented in the course and (ii) when students must select course materials from a defined list, all course materials on that list.

b.         Each grade‑ or school‑wide presentation, assembly, lecture, or other activity or event facilitated by the school during instructional hours outside of an individual teacher's classroom, excluding student presentations. The outline shall include a list of (i) each presenter by name and organization and (ii) any course material used or presented.

(5)        Supplemental materials. – Educational materials that supplement specific instruction for the standard course of study selected and procured by a local board of education for a grade or course or general education needs of the school. Supplemental materials may include textbooks, library books, periodicals, audiovisual materials, action‑oriented civics learning assignments or projects, and other supplemental instructional materials needed for instructional purposes in the local school administrative unit. Supplemental materials may be print or nonprint, including hardbound books, softbound books, activity‑oriented programs, classroom kits, or digital resources that require the use of electronic equipment in order to be used in the learning process.

(b)        The governing body of a public school unit shall ensure that the following information for each school it governs is prominently displayed on the school website, organized, at a minimum, by subject area and grade level:

(1)        All lesson plans used shall be posted online no later than 10 days after the lesson was given. Lesson plans shall include the following, at a minimum:

a.         The names of all instructional and supplemental materials used by the school with an electronic link to the instructional materials website.

b.         Any other course materials used in a course, organized by title, and the author, organization, or website associated with each material and activity. These course materials shall include materials created by the teacher, with the teacher identified as the author. The lesson plan shall include a brief descriptor of the course materials and a link to the course material, if publicly available on the internet, or information on how to request review of a copy of the course material in person. Nothing in this section shall be construed to require the digital reproduction or posting of copies of the course materials themselves.

(2)        For all public school units, any procedures for the documentation, review, or approval of the lesson plans, including course materials identified in those plans, by the principal, curriculum administrators, or other teachers.

(3)        For all public school units, the procedure established by the governing board for requesting an in‑person review of a course material not publicly available on the internet.

(4)        For all public school units, a list of teacher and staff training materials and activities used at each school during the current school year.

(c)        The governing body shall provide access from the website of the public school unit to the information required by subsection (b) of this section at all times, either through a website maintained by the public school unit or by a link to another website where the information is publicly accessible. Public access to the information shall be maintained by the public school unit for two calendar years from the date the material is posted. The Department of Public Instruction shall make available to public school units one or more templates for providing information as required by this section. A public school unit may exercise flexibility in determining the most effective means of compliance with the requirements of this section, including, but not limited to, utilizing any of the following in its discretion:

(1)        Providing a template created by the Department of Public Instruction to teachers to facilitate reporting of lesson plans.

(2)        Creating one or more templates to provide to teachers to facilitate reporting of lesson plans. The public school unit may customize templates for grades or courses and may autopopulate any course materials required by the public school unit as part of the curriculum for a particular grade or course.

(3)        Allowing utilization of online collaborative software, documents, or spreadsheets to allow multiple authorized users to update content.

(d)       A governing body that is responsible for the operation of schools with fewer than 30 students cumulatively is not required to comply with the requirements of this section.

(e)        For purposes of teacher privacy, a teacher or staff member may request that the school use the teacher's or staff member's personal title and last initial rather than the teacher's or staff member's full name when posting materials online to be viewed by the public.

SECTION 1.(b)  Article 4 of Chapter 116 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:

§ 116‑69.3.  Inform the public about course materials.

The Board of Trustees shall ensure that information about course materials is prominently displayed on the website of the North Carolina School of the Arts for all elementary, middle, and high school programs, in accordance with G.S. 115C‑76.75.

SECTION 1.(c)  G.S. 116‑235 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:

(k)      Course Materials. – The Board of Trustees shall ensure that information about course materials is prominently displayed on the website of the School, in accordance with G.S. 115C‑76.75.

SECTION 2.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Public Instruction the sum of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) in recurring funds for the 2024‑2025 fiscal year for oversight and enforcement of the provisions implemented by this act.

SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with the 2024‑2025 school year.