Below is a message from the NC Alliance for Health on Upcoming Healthy Food Access Trainings Please join the North Carolina Alliance for Health at one of two interactive trainings on obesity prevention and how obesity can be addressed in our state through increased access to healthy foods. We will discuss food insecurity in North Carolina and the many different ways people around the state are trying to increase access to healthier foods in food deserts. We’ll also discuss what to look for on this topic during the coming General Assembly short session, as well as media and decision-maker advocacy skills. […]

North Carolina PTA hopes all PTAs in North Carolina will consider coordinating an Elected Officials Go to School program at your school before the General Assembly convenes on May 14.  The purpose of this program is to give legislators and other policymakers an opportunity to spend a day at your school and interact with staff, teachers, parents and students.  Information on how to put together an Elected Officials Go to School event can be found here.  This link includes a sample invitation for your local legislators or other elected officials. As an incentive to get local PTAs engaged in this program,

National PTA wants PTA members across the country to know about recent voucher bills introduced in Congress. National PTA has issued the following statement: A flurry of voucher bills introduced over the past few weeks would privatize the majority of our K-12 funds. Members of Congress are signing up to cosponsor these bills and momentum on Capitol Hill is snowballing. Senator Lamar Alexander and Rep. Luke Messer introduced a bill (the Scholarships for Kids Act, S. 1968 /H.R. 4000) that would turn 63 percent of federal education funding into private school vouchers. That means all federal education funding – with the exception

On February 25, the General Assembly convened the Educator Effectiveness and Compensation Task Force.  Presentation topics included compensation comparisons with surrounding states and an educator compensation overview.  Presentations from the Task Force meeting can be found here.

The General Assembly’s Legislative Research Commission on Common Core State Standards will hear public comments on March 20.  Information on how to sign up for the public hearing as well as Commission resources on Common Core can be found here.