A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to provide that a student who is lawfully absent from school shall be eligible for a student attendance recognition program adopted by a local board of education.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  Part 1 of Article 26 of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:
"§ 115C‑382.5.  Student attendance recognition programs.
A local board of education may adopt a student attendance recognition program within the local school administrative unit to encourage student attendance in school and participation in class as an integral part of academic achievement and the learning process. If the local board of education adopts a student attendance recognition program, a student with a lawful, excused absence recognized by the principal of the student's school in accordance with rules adopted by the State Board of Education, pursuant to G.S. 115C‑379, shall remain eligible for participation in the program and the absence shall not be included as part of the student's record of attendance for the purposes of the program."
SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with the 2015‑2016 school year.