AN ACT to require display of section one of article ix of the north carolina constitution at the entrance to all elementary and secondary schools.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.(a)  G.S. 115C‑47(29a) reads as rewritten:

(29a)  To Require the Display of the United States and North Carolina Flags, and to Require the Recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. Patriotic Displays and Education. – Local boards of education shall adopt policies to (i) require the following:

a.         If flags are donated or otherwise available, the display of the United States and North Carolina flags in each classroom, when available, (ii) require that recitation classroom.

b.         Recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance be scheduled on a daily basis, and (iii) provide basis.

c.         Prominent display, inside each school building's main entrance, of the following quote: Religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools, libraries, and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.

d.         Provision of age‑appropriate instruction on the meaning and historical origins of the flag and flags, the Pledge of Allegiance. These policies Allegiance, the Constitution of the United States, and the North Carolina Constitution.

Policies adopted pursuant to sub‑subdivisions a. through d. of this subdivision shall not compel any person to stand, salute the flag, or recite the Pledge of Allegiance. If flags are donated or are otherwise available, flags shall be displayed in each classroom.

SECTION 1.(b)  G.S. 115C‑12 is amended by adding a new subdivision to read:

(49)    Patriotic Displays and Education. – For any public secondary school operated by the Board, the Board shall adopt policies in accordance with G.S. 115C‑47(29a).

SECTION 1.(c)  G.S. 115C‑218.80 reads as rewritten:

§ 115C‑218.80.  Display of the United States and North Carolina flags and the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.Patriotic displays and education.

A charter school shall (i) display the United States and North Carolina flags in each classroom when available, (ii) require the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance on a daily basis, and (iii) provide age‑appropriate instruction on the meaning and historical origins of the flag and the Pledge of Allegiance. A charter school shall not compel any person to stand, salute the flag, or recite the Pledge of Allegiance. If flags are donated or are otherwise available, flags shall be displayed in each classroom.adopt policies in accordance with G.S. 115C‑47(29a).

SECTION 1.(d)  G.S. 115C‑238.66 is amended by adding a new subdivision to read:

(19)    Patriotic displays and education. – A regional school shall adopt policies in accordance with G.S. 115C‑47(29a).

SECTION 1.(e)  G.S. 116‑69.1 reads as rewritten:

§ 116‑69.1.  Display of the United States and North Carolina flags and the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.Patriotic displays and education.

The school shall (i) display the United States and North Carolina flags in each classroom when available, (ii) require the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance on a daily basis, and (iii) provide instruction on the meaning and historical origins of the flag and the Pledge of Allegiance. The school shall not compel any person to stand, salute the flag, or recite the Pledge of Allegiance. If flags are donated or are otherwise available, flags shall be displayed in each classroom.adopt policies in accordance with G.S. 115C‑47(29a).

SECTION 1.(f)  G.S. 116‑235(i) reads as rewritten:

(i)       The Display of the United States and North Carolina Flags and the Recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. Patriotic Displays and Education. – The Board of Trustees shall adopt policies to require (i) the display of the United States and North Carolina flags in each classroom when available, (ii) the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance on a daily basis, and (iii) the instruction on the meaning and historical origins of the flag and the Pledge of Allegiance. These policies shall not compel any person to stand, salute the flag, or recite the Pledge of Allegiance. If flags are donated or are otherwise available, flags shall be displayed in each classroom.in accordance with G.S. 115C‑47(29a).

SECTION 1.(g)  Article 39 of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:

§ 115C‑567.  Patriotic displays and education.

Any school operating pursuant to this Article shall adopt policies in accordance with G.S. 115C‑47(29a).

SECTION 2.  Notwithstanding G.S. 143C‑5‑2, there is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Public Instruction the sum of twenty‑five thousand dollars ($25,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2023‑2024 fiscal year to implement the requirements of this act, including to fund the purchase of supplies for students to create displays or to fund the purchase of mounted plaques.

SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2023, and applies beginning with the 2024‑2025 school year.