AN ACT to provide education records of minor community college students to the parents of the dependent student.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  This act shall be known and may be cited as Leon's Law.

SECTION 2.  Chapter 115D of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:

§ 115D‑10.80.  Education records of minor students.

(a)        The State Board of Community Colleges shall direct each community college to adopt a policy that does all of the following:

(1)        To the extent allowed under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 20 U.S.C. § 1232g, provides education records, as defined in 34 C.F.R. § 99.3, of minor students to that student's parent if all of the following criteria are met:

a.         The student is below the age of 18.

b.         The student is a dependent, as defined in section 152 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, of the parent.

c.         The parent has not opted out of receiving the records.

(2)        Requires minor students whose education records are subject to subdivision (1) of this subsection to complete a form, prior to registration in any course at the community college, acknowledging that the parents of the student have access to the education records of the student.

(b)        For the purposes of this section, parent is defined as the parent, guardian, or an individual acting as a parent in the absence of a parent or guardian of a student.

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