Johnson-Hostler introduces legislation to expand equal public education access in North Carolina

State Rep. Monika Johnson-Hostler has proposed a new bill in the North Carolina House designed to extend equal public education rights to all students, regardless of immigration or citizenship status, the North Carolina State House reports.

Formally filed as HB 1061 on April 27 for the 2025 regular session, the bill is listed with the short title, “Plyler Educational Protections Act.”

This summary uses the official bill text and offers clarification of its specific details.

If enacted, this bill would confirm equal access to public education for all children in North Carolina, irrespective of immigration or citizenship status, and prevent schools from implementing policies that treat students differently for those reasons. It also bans schools from requesting, storing, or revealing immigration data except for specific purposes, directs schools to create and publicly post an Immigration Authority Action Response Plan about interactions with immigration authorities on campus, limits the role of school resource officers in civil immigration matters, shields employees carrying out these policies from reprisal, and introduces the option for private lawsuits over violations. The legislation provides $150,000 for statewide guidance for the 2026-27 fiscal year, taking effect on July 1, 2026, with the remaining measures commencing in the 2026-27 school year.

Among the bill’s four listed sponsors, Marcia Morey introduced the most proposals (43) in the 2025 regular session.

North Carolina’s lawmaking process involves several steps. A legislator first files a bill, which then goes to committee. Each chamber must read the bill three times. Should either chamber amend the bill after initial passage, both must agree on final language. Once both approve the same version, the bill advances to the governor, who has 10 days (or 30 if the legislature is out of session) to sign, veto, or allow it to become law without a signature.

Details on additional bills and legislative actions are available here.

Johnson-Hostler holds a bachelor’s degree from Fayetteville State University.

In 2025, Johnson-Hostler, a Democrat, was elected to serve North Carolina’s 33rd House district, succeeding Rosa Gill.