Committee adopts amendment, reports bill requiring IDEA training for principals and county board members

The committee adopted a committee amendment and voted to report House Bill 2499 to the full Senate with the recommendation that it pass. The bill would require principals, appropriate central office personnel and county board members to receive informational training covering the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Least Restrictive Environment principles, updated discipline guidance from the U.S. Department of Education, and parental due-process rights.

Counsel summarized the bill and the proposed committee amendment: “This bill requires that principals who are employed with public schools and county board members receive a 1 day informational training course in person covering the federal law on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Least Restrictive Environment, updated discipline guidance … and parental rights when it comes to due process.” Counsel also said the proposed committee amendment would add central office personnel and the superintendent, add federal regulations and State Board Policy 2419 to the topics, remove the one-day requirement, and change the triggers for subsequent training to align with IDEA and State Board policy revisions.

Committee members questioned who would provide the training and whether it could be delivered virtually. Senator from Raleigh asked if the training could be online; counsel confirmed the original bill required in-person training but that the committee amendment removed the one-day requirement. The senator expressed concern that online delivery can be merely “click next” training; Delegate Pritt, the bill sponsor, said in-person training allows “discussions with one another and work through it,” and that he wanted participants to “truly grasp” the material for the state’s “most vulnerable kids.”

There was concern about whether county board members should be included. Senator from Randolph offered a conceptual amendment to remove county board members from the requirement but later asked unanimous consent to withdraw that motion after Delegate Pritt explained his rationale: “Because there's no prerequisite for county board members to have a background in education … I think it's really important for board members … to get a baseline knowledge.” The committee adopted the committee amendment (which removed the one-day specification and added central office personnel and State Board Policy 2419) and then voted to report the bill to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass.

The bill as amended requires training to be completed before Dec. 31, 2025, for current personnel and to be provided to newly employed principals or newly elected county board members after that date; subsection C requires principals and county board members to inform teachers, in person, of minimum specified rights at a minimum scope identified in the bill. The committee transcript did not record a roll-call vote count; the motions were adopted by voice vote.