Senate Bill 593 Summary

• Establishes separate boards of trustees to govern the Governor Morehead School for the Blind, Eastern North Carolina School for the Deaf, and North Carolina School for the Deaf, replacing State Board of Education governance effective July 1, 2023.

• Each board consists of five voting members appointed by the General Assembly and Governor, plus two nonvoting members from alumni associations and Department of Health and Human Services.

• Board of trustees responsibilities include sound basic education, curriculum decisions, hiring personnel, health and safety compliance, mental health programs, school safety planning, and adoption of policies on discipline and conduct.

• Establishes admission procedures based on evidence of hearing or vision loss, state and federal laws, optimal academic outcomes, parental input, and student daily living skills, with temporary and educational program assignment statuses available.

• North Carolina residents entitled to free tuition and room and board; nonresident and foreign exchange students charged full, unsubsidized per capita costs with board approval required for enrollment.