GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2001
S	1
SENATE BILL 200

 
 
Short Title:	Hot Line/Disparate Treatment of Students.	()	
Sponsors:	Senators Martin of Guilford, Dannelly, Garwood;  Ballance, Gulley, Jordan, Kinnaird, Lee, Lucas, and Shaw of Cumberland.	
Referred to:	Education/Higher Education.	
February 22, 2001

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to direct the state board of education to establish a hot line for the collection of complaints alleging disparate treatment of minority students and students from low-income families, and to appropriate funds to implement this act.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  Article 2 of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is amended by adding the following new section:
"§ 115C-17.1. Hot line to collect complaints alleging disparate treatment.
The Board shall establish a hot line to collect complaints alleging disparate treatment of minority students and students from low-income families.  The Board shall:
(1)	Establish teams to review and categorize the complaints for reporting annually to the General Assembly.
(2)	Employ an appropriate number of hot line personnel who speak and understand Spanish.
(3)	Implement a mechanism, where warranted, for the Board to respond to and secure an independent and impartial investigation of systemic problems revealed through the complaints.
(4)	Adopt a procedure for the Board to report individual complaints, unless the person making the complaint requests otherwise, to the appropriate local school administrative unit so that it may investigate.
(5)	Adopt criteria for a local investigation that assures fair and impartial investigation.
The Board shall report annually to the General Assembly on the numbers and types of complaints handled by the hot line and how they were resolved."
SECTION 2.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the State Board of Education the sum of three hundred ninety‑seven thousand one hundred fifty‑five dollars ($397,155) for the 2001‑2002 fiscal year to implement this act.
SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2001.  The State Board of Education shall implement the hot line by October 1, 2001.