S.L. 2019-201 (S 230) NC Military and Veteran Act of 2019
S.L. 2019-201 (S 230) NC Military and Veteran Act of 2019
North Carolina is home to the highest number of active and inactive military members in the entire Union. The legislature has taken steps to make sure that members of the military and veterans are not negatively influenced by their service to our country. The changes under the NC Military and Veteran Act may also help service members decide to stay in NC or help position NC to keep its bases when the next BRAC base closure commission acts. In August of 2019, the General Assembly enacted changes to numerous military and veteran related statutes. S.L. 2019-201 (S 230) is called the “NC Military and Veteran Act of 2019”. The statutory changes concern the State Board of Education, occupational licensing, social service investigations, as well as in-state tuition residency requirements.
Children of military members and providing for excused absences from school
Prior to the below additions to North Carolina General Statute 115C-379(b)(2), the State Board of Education was only authorized by the state legislature to adopt rules that excused absences of a temporary nature for a student with a physical or mental inability to attend school as well as circumstances whereby a student may be excused for nonattendance to do farm work or work at home. In an effort to ensure that children of military members do not receive unexcused absences because of a military member’s change in deployment status, part 1 of the Military and Veteran Act of 2019 directs the State Board of Education to enact rules providing for specified excused absences from school for children of members of the armed forces of the United States.