The General Assembly passed a budget over the weekend that contains new public records law exemptions for schematic diagrams of school buildings, and scholarship applications to the State Education Assistance Authority. The budget bill is now on the desk of Governor Pat McCrory.
SB 744 is the budget bill for the current fiscal year. The budget bill almost always includes other provisions unrelated to spending, and the final version to pass both houses of the General Assembly this year contains a new public records law exemption.
Section 8.20 of the budget bill requires local school boards to create schematic diagrams of local school buildings, as well as emergency key access for the same facilities. A copy of the diagrams is to be provided to local law enforcement agencies and the Department of Public Safety. The goal of the provision is to assist emergency responders by providing detailed information in advance about how schools are laid out. The schematic diagrams are exempt from the public records law.
Section 8.25 of the budget bill makes some changes to the State Education Assistance Authority’s scholarship program for students attending nonpublic schools. As far as the records law is concerned, it specifically exempts application materials that students send in for the program, and it exempts the identities of students who receive the scholarships.
The $21 billion budget bill was ratified Saturday and sent to Gov. Pat McCrory. McCrory had previously said that he would sign the bill.