H259 - 2023 Appropriations Act. (SL 2023-134)

Overview: Section 7.37 of S.L. 2023-134 directs the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to use $500,000 in nonrecurring funds for each year of the 2023-2025 fiscal biennium to contract with the Children and Parent Resource Group, Inc., to design, implement, and evaluate the Life Changing Experiences School Program (Project) in the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years. The Project must be operated and administered for students in grades 6 through 11 in at least the following local school administrative units (LEAs): Cleveland County Schools, Greene County Schools, Lenoir County Public Schools, Lincoln County Schools, McDowell County Schools, Mitchell County Schools, and Pitt County Schools. Additional LEAs can be selected to participate in the Project if there are sufficient funds. The funds cannot be used for any purpose other than to implement the Project. The Project must include theme-specific programs and certain additional follow up applications that address dangerous life and community threatening activities that negatively impact teenagers, including alcohol and other drugs, dangerous driving, violence, and bullying.

The Children and Parent Resource Group, Inc., in consultation with DPI, must submit a report on the Project by March 15, 2024, to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee and the Fiscal Research Division and include an accounting of expenditures and student outcome data related to the operation of the Project.

This section became effective July 1, 2023.