S681 - Agency Policy Directives/2019-2020. (SL 2020-78)

Overview: Sec. 2.5 of S.L. 2020-78 requires the State Board of Education (SBE) to modify the high school graduation requirements to include one required credit in arts education to be completed by each student at any time in sixth grade through twelfth grade. The implementation of this requirement begins with students entering the sixth grade in 2022.

The SBE must include an exemption from this requirement for students transferring into a North Carolina public school beginning in the ninth grade or later, if the arts education requirement would prevent the student from graduating on time. Additionally, the SBE must establish procedures and a timeline for phasing in the arts education graduation requirement and the minimum criteria to meet the arts education requirement.

The SBE must report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by December 15, 2022, on the statewide implementation of the three interdependent components of comprehensive arts education (arts education, arts integration, and arts exposure) and the arts education graduation requirement.

This section became effective July 1, 2020.