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Read. Follow. Verify.North Carolina House Bill 4 requires seizure action plans and annual training in all public schools
Last action · May 7, 2025: Ref To Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate (Senate action)Sponsors: Keith Kidwell and 25 others
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What This Bill Would Do
North Carolina public schools must develop individualized s, train at least one employee per school in seizure medication administration, and provide annual seizure education for staff beginning with the 2025-2026 school year. The legislation, known as Sam's Law, applies to local school administrative units, charter schools, regional schools, and schools operated by the State Board of Education and the University of North Carolina Board of Governors. The General Assembly also appropriates $50,000 in nonrecurring funds to the Department of Public Instruction for implementation costs.
Parents of students with seizure disorders can request individualized school health plans, while school administrators, teachers, and staff face new annual training requirements and medication storage duties backed by $50,000 in state administrative funding.
- House Bill 4, also known as Sam's Law, is part of a legislative push to establish standardized emergency health care protocols in public schools. context
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.
Students with seizure disorders
Students can receive individualized health plans and trained supervision for medication administration during the school day.
School personnel and volunteers
Staff face mandatory annual seizure education, self-study review requirements, and opportunities for specialized training in administering seizure medication.
Public school units and charter schools
Educational governing bodies must adopt seizure policies, maintain action plans, secure medications, and ensure at least one employee per school is trained.
Key Facts
- The act is known as the 'Seizure Safe Schools Act of 2025' or 'Sam's Law'.
- Parents of students diagnosed with a seizure disorder may petition school units to develop a written, individualized Seizure Action Plan valid for one school year.
- Seizure Action Plans must include a health care provider statement detailing the student's name, prescribed medication, dosage, administration method, frequency, and symptoms.
- Parents authorizing school personnel or volunteers to administer medication must provide at least one unopened dosage with an intact pharmaceutical label stored in a secure location.
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- Each school unit must ensure that at least one employee in each school is trained to administer or assist with self-administration of seizure medication, following guidelines from the Epilepsy Foundation of America, Inc.
- Public school units must administer an annual seizure education program for all personnel with direct contact with students in grades kindergarten through 12.
- Principals, school counselors, and teachers must complete at least one hour of self-study review of seizure disorder materials each school year.
- Each school must display an informational poster on seizure first aid in at least one visible, high-traffic area.
- The State Board of Education, local boards of education, charter school boards, regional school boards, and the University of North Carolina Board of Governors must adopt policies regarding seizures.
- The act appropriates $50,000 in nonrecurring funds from the General Fund to the Department of Public Instruction to assist with policy development and implementation.
- The act takes effect when it becomes law and applies beginning with the 2025-2026 school year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can request a Seizure Action Plan?
What training is required for school staff?
How long is a Seizure Action Plan valid?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently passed chamber. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Law.
Procedural history
23 actions- May 7, 2025SenateRef To Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate
- May 7, 2025SenatePassed 1st Reading
- May 7, 2025SenateSpecial Message Received From House
- May 7, 2025HouseSpecial Message Sent To Senate
- May 7, 2025HousePassed 3rd Reading
- May 7, 2025HousePassed 2nd Reading
Show 17 earlier actions
- May 6, 2025HousePlaced On Cal For 05/07/2025
- May 6, 2025HouseCal Pursuant Rule 36(b)
- May 6, 2025HouseReptd Fav
- May 6, 2025HouseRe-ref Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
- May 6, 2025HouseWithdrawn From Com
- Apr 15, 2025HouseRe-ref Com On Appropriations
- Apr 15, 2025HouseReptd Fav Com Sub 2
- Apr 1, 2025HouseRe-ref Com On Health
- Apr 1, 2025HouseReptd Fav Com Substitute
- Apr 1, 2025HouseSerial Referral To Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House Added
- Apr 1, 2025HouseSerial Referral To Appropriations Added
- Apr 1, 2025HouseSerial Referral To Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House Stricken
- Feb 3, 2025HouseRe-ref to the Com on Education - K-12, if favorable, Health, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
- Feb 3, 2025HouseWithdrawn From Com
- Jan 30, 2025HouseRef To Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
- Jan 30, 2025HousePassed 1st Reading
- Jan 29, 2025HouseIntroducedFiled
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 →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Show 21 more sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Mandatory Seizure Preparedness Across All Educational Sectors
The bill extends seizure policy requirements uniformly across local school boards, charter schools, regional schools, and UNC-operated school units.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.ncleg.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy10Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz35Current news / social attention level
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