House Bill 155 - Summary

• Changes class size reporting deadline from end of September to end of October for local school boards filing reports with the Superintendent of Public Instruction beginning in the 2017-2018 school year.

• Restricts career status to teachers who obtained it prior to August 1, 2013; eliminates career status provisions for school administrators and probationary teachers, aligning with North Carolina Supreme Court decision.

• Authorizes assistant principals at high schools with at least 1,500 students to conduct annual evaluations of beginning teachers (first three years), provided at least one evaluation is conducted by a principal.

• Directs Superintendent of Public Instruction to convene a work group to study intervention measures and policy changes addressing student health and mental health issues, with report due by April 1, 2018.

• Delays State Board of Education implementation of Interagency Advisory Committee policies until October 1, 2018, and shifts school-based mental health initiative timelines to 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 school years for local school districts and charter schools.

• Requires Superintendent to develop recommendations for expanding computer science and computational thinking instruction in K-12 schools, aligned with national curriculum frameworks, with report to General Assembly by January 15, 2018.