A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to direct the Department of Public Instruction to assist local school administrative units with national accreditation requirements of career and technical education programs and to require the state board of education to limit the ACCREDITATION of career and technical education automotive programs to the extent ACCREDITATION is required by federal law.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 115C‑154.1 reads as rewritten:
"§ 115C‑154.1.  Approval of local career and technical education plans or applications; assistance for accreditation requirements.
(a)	The State Board of Education shall not approve any local board of education career and technical education plans or applications unless the plan or application meets all of the following conditions:
(1)	The programs are in accordance with the purposes of G.S. 115C‑151.
(2)	The career and technical education programs and courses are not duplicated within a local school administrative unit, unless the unit has data to justify the duplication or the unit has a plan to redirect the duplicative programs within three years.
(3)	For all current job skill programs, there is a documented need, based on labor market data or follow‑up data, or there is a plan to redirect the program within two years.
(4)	New career and technical education programs show documented need based on student demand, or for new job skill programs, based on student and labor market demand.
(5)	All programs are responsive to technological advances, changing characteristics of the work force, and the academic, technical, and attitudinal development of students.
(6)	The local board of education establishes a business advisory council in accordance with Part 4 of this Article. The local board of education shall submit information regarding ongoing consultation with the advisory council as part of the career and technical education local planning system maintained by the State Board of Education and the Department of Public Instruction.
(b)	Local programs using the cooperative career and technical education method shall be approved subject to students enrolled being placed in employment commensurate with the respective program criteria.
(c)	The Department of Public Instruction shall provide technical assistance to local school administrative units and work with national accreditation organizations to reduce the financial burden and time commitment placed on school personnel associated with fulfilling national accreditation requirements established by the State Board of Education for career and technical education programs included in a local plan. In addition, the State Board shall only require an automotive service technology career and technical education program included in a local plan to be accredited by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation to the extent accreditation of the program is required by federal law."
SECTION 2.  The State Board of Education shall make any necessary revisions to the North Carolina State Plan submitted to the United States Department of Education pursuant to the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, as amended by the Strengthening Career and Technical Education Act for the 21st Century Act (Pub. L. 115‑224), reflecting the requirements of Section 1 of this act for the purposes of complying with federal grant requirements to receive career and technical education federal funds. The State Board shall submit the revisions during the next eligible period for annual revisions on or after the date this act becomes law.
SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with the 2020‑2021 school year.