House committee substitute to the 1st edition makes the following changes.
Section 1.
Removes “materials” from the State Board of Education’s (Board) requirement to maintain and annually update a publicly available database of all library media rejected by public school units.
Section 2.
Makes technical, clarifying, and conforming changes to GS 115C-78. Changes definition of library media so that is means any media excluding textbooks, for independent use by students and school personnel and not used as part of the standard course of study for any grade or course, whether held in a formal school library or in a classroom (was, electronic, print, or non-print resources, as described). Defines media to mean any electronic, print, or non-print resources, including those described. Defines school library to include any location within a school that contains library media. Removes terms harmful to minors and material.
Requires removal of library media within one year that no longer meets the Board’s criteria for removal (previously, no timeframe for removal). Now requires the community library advisory committee (CLAC) to identify library media to recommended for the addition to a school library (was, superintendent must delegate that responsibility to the CLAC). Removes criteria that: (1) prospective library media not contain material that is harmful to minors; (2) for nonfiction resources, incorporates accurate and authentic factual content from authoritative sources; and (3) fiction, graphic novels, and narrative nonfiction (including memoirs and biographies) can only be added for literary or artistic value. Changes the deadline for the governing body of the local public school unit to consider CLAC’s recommended library media from ninety days to sixty days. Expands the categories of individuals that the public school unit should include in its instructions on how to object to the approval of the library media to include a parent, teacher, or resident of the county in which the public school unit is located (was, parent, guardian or resident of the county). Removes requirement that the objection must include information on how the submission fails to meet the criteria. Specifies that the provisions requiring review of library media by CLAC upon receipt of 10 letters of objection as specified also apply to library media that has been approved and included in a school library.
Now authorizes the superintendent to select the SLAC members of each public school unit. Removes Board’s requirement to establish guidelines to be followed by CLAC’s. Now requires the CLAC (was, principal) to review the media to be made available at school book fairs. Changes the report deadline for the report to the Board on rejected library materials from the conclusion of each year to June 30.
Makes technical, conforming, and organizational changes.
Creates in new GS 115C-78.5 a civil action for violations of new Part 7 to Article 7B of Chapter 115C (which includes GS 115C-78) to authorize a parent, legal guardian, or resident of the county in which the public school unit is located to bring a cause of action against the public school unit for a variety of relief, include statutory damages of $5,000 per violation and reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs. Requires a plaintiff to first exhaust their administrative remedies before bringing suit. Specifies that for library media which was purchased by a public school unit prior to this act becoming law, the governing body of the public school unit must use the CLAC to investigate and evaluate challenges using the same procedure in GS 115C-78.
Section 3.
Exempts library media and library books from GS 115C-98 (requiring local boards of education to provide for local operation of the textbook program, the selection and procurement of other instructional materials, and the use of nonadopted textbooks).
Makes conforming changes to act’s long title.
Bill Summaries: H636 PROMOTING WHOLESOME CONTENT FOR STUDENTS.
Printer-friendly: Click to view
-
Bill H 636 (2025-2026)Summary date: Apr 15 2025 - View Summary
-
Bill H 636 (2025-2026)Summary date: Apr 3 2025 - View Summary
Amends GS 115C-12 by adding a new subsection requiring the State Board of Education to maintain and annually update a publicly available database of all library media and materials rejected by public school units to new Part 7 of Article 7B of this Chapter. Requires the Department of Public Instruction to maintain the website where this database is made publicly available.
Adds Part 7 to Article 7B of Chapter 115C pertaining to public school unit requirements. Enacts GS 115C-78, which does all of the following:
(1) Defines seven terms, including harmful to minors as any material or performance that depicts or describes sexual activity or is pervasively vulgar; library media as any electronic, print, or nonprint resources, excluding textbooks, for independent use by students and school personnel and not used as part of the standard course of study for any grade or course, whether in a formal school library or in a classroom; and sexual activity as defined in GS 14-190.13.
(2) Requires governing bodies of public school units to adopt a policy for selecting library media that includes a recommendation review process including review of donated items.
(3) Mandates approval of media to be an ongoing process that includes removal of media that no longer meets the approval criteria.
(4) Details six requirements for the policy adopted by a governing body for media to be approved for addition to a school library: (1) superintendent must delegate responsibility to identify media recommended for addition to a community library advisory committee; (2) superintendent or designee must review media and determine if it meets the listed eight-point criteria; (3) superintendent must submit recommendations to the governing body of the public school unit for approval or denial; (4) the governing body must consider the recommended material at meetings, permits the body to request more information from the superintendent while reviewing, allows any member of the body to make a motion to place the recommended media before the body for approval, clarifies that without the motion media is not approved, and requires consideration to be completed within 90 days of submission; (5) requires recommended materials by superintendent or designee to be placed on the publicly-accessible school website with a form for submission of objections and instructions for eligible persons to submit an objection to approval; and (6) requires superintendent to submit letters of objection to the library advisory committee if a piece of media receives 10 or more letters of objection that specify how the media fails to meet the criteria.
(5) Requires governing body of the public school unit to establish a community library advisory committee to investigate and evaluate challenges from parents, teachers, and county residents including letters of objection. Notes member composition requirements for the board and requires the State Board of Education to review its rules and policies and establish guidance to be followed by these advisory committees.
(6) Requires the governing body of the public school unit to publish on a publicly accessible website and make available any specifically requested media available in the school library and criteria established used to select or procure the library media and materials to a parent, guardian, or county resident where the unit is located; and
(7) Requires school principals to review all media that will be made available at a student book fair to determine if it meets the eight-point criteria in subsection (c)(2) and has been assigned a proper contact access designation. Makes it the principal's express duty to ensure no media fails to comply.
Clarifies that for media materials purchased by a public school unit before this act becoming law, the governing body must use the library advisory committee to investigate and evaluate challenges using the same consideration process in GS 115C-78(d).
Amends Part 4 of Article 7B of Chapter 115C, pertaining to notifications of student physical and mental health, by enacting GS 115C-76.61 to provide for civil remedies for certain violations of the Parents' Bill of Rights and listing the causes of actions that may be brought. Requires exhaustion of all administrative remedies available pursuant to GS Chapter 115C first.