Senate Bill 90 Summary

• Establishes the Governor Morehead School for the Blind, Eastern North Carolina School for the Deaf, and North Carolina School for the Deaf as independent State agencies governed by boards of trustees, with the State Board of Education maintaining general supervision.

• Prohibits school employees from serving on their school's board of trustees and encourages board appointments of persons with expertise in deaf/hard of hearing or blind/visually impaired education, administration, governance, or finance.

• Designates the chief administrator of each school as "superintendent" (replacing "director") with authority to recommend personnel, supervise administrative staff, and fulfill duties equivalent to a local school superintendent.

• Authorizes each school's board of trustees to purchase liability insurance and directors and officers insurance, and allows parents to appeal eligibility determinations to the board rather than pursue due process hearings.

• Implements a phased transition beginning July 1, 2024, with the Department of Public Instruction providing administrative housing and support through June 30, 2025, and full transition to independent State agency status by July 1, 2025.