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Primary Sponsor

Last Action

Ch. SL 2025-622025-07-03

Vote Breakdown

Plain Language Summary

This bill requires North Carolina's community colleges to find a unified learning management system by December 2025 and complete the transition by December 2027. It exempts the Community Colleges System Office from state information technology requirements while allowing voluntary participation. The bill also updates North Carolina's Longitudinal Data System to include additional privacy protections (HIPAA, IDEA, CJIS compliance) and clarifies how student and workforce data can be shared among educational institutions.

Arguments in Favor

• •Supporters argue that a unified learning management system will improve efficiency, reduce costs, and create better alignment between community colleges and K-12 and university systems.
• •The data system updates strengthen privacy protections by explicitly requiring compliance with multiple federal laws and establishing clearer security standards, safeguards, and audit procedures to protect sensitive student information while enabling beneficial research and decision-making across education levels.

Arguments Against

• •Opponents may worry that a statewide learning management system could reduce flexibility for individual colleges to choose tools that best fit their specific needs, or face transition costs and disruptions during the system changeover.
• •Concerns about the data system include potential privacy risks if safeguards are inadequate, the broad range of agencies accessing student information, and questions about whether de-identification protections are sufficient to prevent re-identification of students in small populations.