House members filed HB 944 Opportunity Scholarship Act on Monday.  This bill would give students who transfer from public to private schools up to $4,200 a year to pay tuition. House Bill 944 would set aside $40 million in the budget year beginning July 1, and $50 million the following year to award the scholarships. The lead sponsor of the bill is Rep. Rob Bryan, R-Mecklenburg.  The bill provides that families at 300 percent of the federal poverty level or below would be eligible. Currently, 300 percent of the federal poverty level is $70,650 for a family of four.   […]

Representatives McGrady, Fulghum, Harrison, and Glazier this week introduced House Bill 848, the NC Toxic-Free Kids  Act.  This bill protects children from the health impact of toxic chemicals in children’s products by prohibiting the manufacture and sale of children’s products containing certain toxic substances.

Here is a link to today’s News and Observer article on differences between the House and Senate’s education reform bills.  To view the text of SB 361, click here and to view the text of HB 719, click here.

The House of Representatives passed the Arts Education as a Graduation Requirement, HB 127.  The bill will now move to the Senate for consideration.  The bill text can be found here.

PTA members from North Carolina traveled to Washington D.C. in March for the PTA Legislative Conference. NCPTA caught up with a few volunteers along the way while visiting leaders on Capitol Hill, and they agreed to share photos and comments about their experience. “It was a wonderful experience to be with other parents and volunteers advocating for children around the country.” – Donald Dunn, NCPTA President-Elect, Lewisville “The Legislative Conference was a big eye opener for me due to the fact that I was a newbie. I enjoyed meeting new PTA representatives from all over the U.S. and felt very honored to

Here is a link to Governor McCrory’s press release on the new Board members.

The North Carolina House of Representatives unanimously passed the Back to Basics bill, a bill that mandates that public schools teach cursive handwriting and memorization of multiplication tables.  The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.

The language of House Bill 498, a bill that would mandate insurance coverage for individuals with autism, can be found here.

Representatives Holloway, Glazier, Faircloth, and Lucas have introduced the 2013 School Safety Act.  This bill supports funding for additional mental health counselors and school resource officers, as well as stregthens school improvement teams and school crisis plans  The bill also requires that guidance counselors spend 80% of their time providing direct services to students.  NCPTA Executive Director Debra Horton attended the press conference in support of this important bill.  The text of HB 452 can be viewed here.