Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

H.B. 79
                         GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
                                                                                         Feb 11, 2021
                                     SESSION 2021                                   HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK
     H                                                                                            D
                                   HOUSE BILL DRH40051-TCz-8
     Short Title:   Student Digital Learning Access.                                         (Public)
     Sponsors:      Representative Blackwell.
     Referred to:
                                    A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 AN ACT TO REQUIRE THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO MAINTAIN A DIGITAL
     LEARNING DASHBOARD UPDATED ANNUALLY BY PUBLIC SCHOOL UNITS
     AND TO REQUIRE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE JOINT LEGISLATIVE
     EDUCATION OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE BASED ON INFORMATION ON STUDENT
     DIGITAL LEARNING ACCESS DURING COVID-19, AS RECOMMENDED BY THE
     JOINT LEGISLATIVE EDUCATION OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE.
 The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
            SECTION 1.(a) Part 3A of Article 8 of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is
 amended by adding a new section to read:
 "§ 115C-102.9. Digital learning dashboard.
     (a)    The State Board of Education shall establish and maintain an electronic dashboard to
 publicly display information related to digital learning. The State Board shall include in the
 dashboard, at a minimum, the following categories of information to be reported:
            (1)     Digital devices available to students within the school, with information
                    available by the following categories:
                    a.      Public school unit.
                    b.      School.
                    c.      Grade level.
                    d.      Devices provided by the public school unit.
                    e.      Devices provided by the student's home.
                    f.      Type of device.
                    g.      Personal devices provided for student use.
            (2)     Out-of-school internet connectivity for students, with information available
                    by the following categories:
                    a.      Public school unit.
                    b.      School.
                    c.      Grade level.
                    d.      Type of connectivity.
                    e.      For homes with no connectivity, reason for lack of connection.
                    f.      For students without home connectivity, primary nonschool source for
                            internet connectivity.
            (3)     Digital devices available to students outside of the school, with information
                    available by the following categories:
                    a.      Public school unit.
                    b.      School.
                                   *DRH40051-TCz-8*
     General Assembly Of North Carolina                                                  Session 2021
                      c.      Grade level.
                      d.      Devices provided by the public school unit.
                      e.      Devices provided by the student's home.
                      f.      Type of device.
                      g.      For homes with no devices, reason for lack of devices.
     (b)     Each public school unit shall annually update all categories of information included
 in the digital learning dashboard no later than November 15.
     (c)     The State Board of Education shall annually report to the Joint Legislative Education
 Oversight Committee by February 15 on statewide trends reflected in the digital learning
 dashboard, successes and continued challenges in ensuring all students have digital learning
 access both in and out of school, and recommendations on ways to continue to close the digital
 learning accessibility gap."
             SECTION 1.(b) G.S. 115C-75.9 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:
     "(o) Digital Learning Dashboard. – An innovative school shall annually update
 information to the digital learning dashboard, as required by G.S. 115C-102.9."
             SECTION 1.(c) G.S. 115C-218.75 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:
     "(i)    A charter school shall annually update information to the digital learning dashboard,
 as required by G.S. 115C-102.9."
             SECTION 1.(d) G.S. 115C-238.66 is amended by adding a new subdivision to read:
             "(17) Digital learning dashboard updates. – A regional school shall annually update
                      information to the digital learning dashboard, as required by
                      G.S. 115C-102.9."
             SECTION 1.(e) G.S. 116-239.8(b) is amended by adding a new subdivision to read:
             "(19) Digital learning dashboard updates. – A regional school shall annually update
                      information to the digital learning dashboard, as required by
                      G.S. 115C-102.9."
             SECTION 1.(f) Section 6(d) of S.L. 2018-32 is amended by adding a new
 subdivision to read:
             "(5a) G.S. 115C-102.9, Digital learning dashboard."
             SECTION 1.(g) This section is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning
 with the 2021-2022 school year.
             SECTION 2.(a) The Department of Public Instruction and the Department of
 Information Technology, in collaboration with the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation at
 North Carolina State University (Friday Institute) (collectively referred to herein as the
 Departments) shall conduct a statewide assessment of data related to out-of-school internet and
 device access for North Carolina elementary and secondary students obtained during the physical
 school closure and at-home learning that occurred due to COVID-19 during the 2019-2020 and
 2020-2021 school years. Public school units shall provide any relevant data from this period to
 the Departments upon request at the most granular level available. The assessment conducted by
 the Departments shall review the available data to identify the scope of students who lack
 out-of-school internet access or devices at home; the reasons students lack such access, including
 accessibility to adequate broadband in the homes, cost of broadband services, and lack of devices;
 and the methods used to address the lack of access during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school
 years. Based on the assessed data, the Departments shall identify and make recommendations for
 effective programs and policies to close the student digital access gap and shall recommend
 effective approaches to maintain current granular data on the student digital access gap.
             SECTION 2.(b) The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall coordinate (i) access
 to available data from each public school unit for the Departments and (ii) the reporting of the
 recommendations of the Departments as provided in this section. The Superintendent of Public
 Instruction shall report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee on the assessment
 of the student digital access gap no later than October 15, 2021.
     Page 2                                                                        DRH40051-TCz-8
    General Assembly Of North Carolina                               Session 2021
          SECTION 3. This act is effective when it becomes law.
    DRH40051-TCz-8                                                        Page 3
Statutes affected: 
Filed: 115C-75.9, 115C-218.75, 115C-238.66, 116-239.8
Edition 1: 115C-75.9, 115C-218.75, 115C-238.66, 116-239.8
Edition 2: 115C-75.9, 115C-218.75, 115C-238.66, 116-239.8
Edition 3: 115C-407.65