AN ACT to require acceptance of cash for admission to high school and middle school interscholastic athletic activities.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 115C‑407.65 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:

(c)      Public school units shall accept cash as a form of payment for admissions at the time of the event for any interscholastic athletic activity where a fee is charged for admission. Notwithstanding G.S. 115C‑445, the governing body of a public school unit may adopt a policy allowing any cash accepted pursuant to this subsection to be deposited on the next business day. The policy shall include procedures for handling the cash prior to deposit.

SECTION 2.  G.S. 115C‑407.70(c) reads as rewritten:

(c)      All public school units with schools that participate in middle school interscholastic athletics shall conduct do all of the following:

(1)        Conduct middle school interscholastic athletic activities in accordance with the rules adopted by the State Board of Education and as administered and enforced by the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

(2)        Accept cash as a form of payment for admissions as provided in G.S. 115C‑407.65(c).

SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with the 2025‑2026 school year.