A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to direct the university of north carolina system and the state community college system to adopt and implement a uniform policy to require that a student who is a national guard service member placed on active duty status be given an excused absence for the period of time the student is on active duty and to provide additional options to the student for completion or withdrawal from classes that will not penalize the student academically.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.(a)  G.S. 116‑11 is amended by adding a new subdivision to read:
"(3b)	The Board of Governors shall adopt a policy to be applied uniformly throughout The University of North Carolina to provide that any student enrolled in a constituent institution who is a National Guard Service Member placed onto State active duty status during an academic term shall be given an excused absence for the period of time the student is on active duty. The policy shall further provide all of the following:
a.	The student shall be given the opportunity to make up any test or other work missed during the excused absence.
b.	The student shall be given the option, when feasible, to continue classes and coursework during the academic term through online participation for the period of time the student is placed on active duty.
c.	The student shall be given the option of receiving a temporary grade of "incomplete (IN)" or "absent from the final exam (AB)" for any course that the student was unable to complete as a result of being placed on State active duty status; however, the student must complete the course requirements within the period of time specified by the constituent institution to avoid receiving a failing grade for the course.
d.	The student shall be permitted to drop, with no penalty, any course that the student was unable to complete as a result of being placed on State active duty status."
SECTION 1.(b)  The Board of Governors shall adopt the policies set out in G.S. 116‑11(3b) as enacted by subsection (a) of this section by July 1, 2017, and shall direct each constituent institution to implement those policies beginning with the 2017 fall academic term.
SECTION 2.(a)  G.S. 115D‑5 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:
"(x)	The State Board of Community Colleges shall adopt a policy to be applied uniformly throughout the Community College System to provide that any student enrolled in a community college who is a National Guard Service Member placed onto State active duty status during an academic term shall be given an excused absence for the period of time the student is on active duty. The policy shall further provide all of the following:
(1)	The student shall be given the opportunity to make up any test or other work missed during the excused absence.
(2)	The student shall be given the option, when feasible, to continue classes and coursework during the academic term through online participation for the period of time the student is placed on active duty.
(3)	The student shall be given the option of receiving a temporary grade of "incomplete (IN)" or "absent from the final exam (AB)" for any course that the student was unable to complete as a result of being placed on State active duty status; however, the student must complete the course requirements within the period of time specified by the constituent institution to avoid receiving a failing grade for the course.
(4)	The student shall be permitted to drop, with no penalty, any course that the student was unable to complete as a result of being placed on State active duty status."
SECTION 2.(b)  The State Board of Community Colleges shall adopt the policies set out in G.S. 115D‑5(x) as enacted by subsection (a) of this section by July 1, 2017, and shall direct each community college to implement those policies beginning with the 2017 fall academic term.
SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law.