North Carolina Establishes Legal Protections for School Employees Using Reasonable Force

Original title: School Employee Protections for Use of Force.

Last action · April 10, 2025: Ref To Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House (House action)Sponsors: Hugh Blackwell and 9 others

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Law

Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.

Public stanceCommunity reactions are separate from the official record and reporting.

What This Bill Would Do

North Carolina establishes a legal presumption that school employees act reasonably when using force for student discipline, self-defense, or maintaining order, while protecting them from civil liability, dismissal, or license revocation unless proven otherwise.

Why it matters

School employees facing investigative or adversarial proceedings benefit from a legal presumption of reasonableness, shifting the burden of proof to claimants in disputes over physical intervention.

Who It Would Affect

Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

School personnel

School employees gain a legal presumption of reasonableness when using physical force, immunity from civil liability, and protections against dismissal, retaliation, and license revocation.

Directly affected

Local boards of education

Local school boards must adopt policies providing guidelines for employee responses to student altercations and gain the authority to determine whether use-of-force presumptions are overcome.

Directly affected

State Board of Education

The State Board of Education is barred from revoking or refusing to renew licenses for licensees who use reasonable force in accordance with the statute.

Key Facts

School personnel actions using reasonable force to control behavior, quell disturbances, obtain weapons, defend self or property, or maintain order are legally presumed reasonable in all investigative, administrative, and adversarial proceedings.
The presumption of reasonableness can be overcome only if a local board of education, the State Board of Education, or a court determines by a preponderance of the evidence that the force was not reasonable.
School board members, officials, and employees are protected from civil liability for using reasonable force in conformity with State law and school policies, placing the burden of proof on the claimant.
School employees cannot be reprimanded or dismissed for stopping or intervening in a student altercation if their actions align with governing body policies.

Show all 9 facts

School governing bodies are prohibited from retaliating against or dismissing personnel for using reasonable force in accordance with the statute.
Governing bodies may still place employees on suspension or leave while allegations of force are being investigated.
The State Board of Education cannot revoke or refuse to renew an educator's license based on the use of reasonable force in accordance with the statute.
School personnel cannot be disciplined, reprimanded, or have their license revoked solely or partly due to criminal assault allegations unless the force violated the statute or resulted in a conviction or plea of no contest.
The act becomes effective upon becoming law and applies beginning with the 2025-2026 school year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can school employees still be suspended while an investigation into their use of force takes place?

Yes. School governing bodies retain the authority to place personnel on suspension or leave, or remove them from specific duties while allegations involving the use of force are being investigated or adjudicated.

What happens if a school employee faces criminal charges for assault while using force?

School personnel cannot be disciplined, dismissed, or have their license revoked solely because of criminal allegations for assault as long as the force complied with the statute and does not result in a conviction or a plea of no contest.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Follow the record

Votes, people, money & the original source

Where This Stands

Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.

Procedural history

3 actions

Apr 10, 2025House
Ref To Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
Apr 10, 2025House
Passed 1st Reading
Apr 9, 2025HouseIntroduced
Filed

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →