Rep. Cervania files bill in North Carolina House to mandate AAPI education

A new bill filed by State Rep. Maria Cervania in the North Carolina House seeks to include Asian American and Pacific Islander history in the standard school curriculum, according to the North Carolina State House.

The bill, filed as HB 835 on April 8 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘Learning AAPI Contributions in Schools.’

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill mandates the inclusion of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) education in the standard course of study for North Carolina schools, from elementary through high school, beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. It requires courses to cover the early contributions of Asian immigrants as laborers, their struggles throughout U.S. history, and their role in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Additionally, the curriculum will address the status of Asian Americans as the fastest-growing minority group in the U.S. and their contributions to government, arts and sciences, and various developments in North Carolina and the nation. The act is effective upon becoming law.

Of the four sponsors of this bill, Jarrod Lowery proposed the most bills (24) during the 2025 regular session.

Bills in North Carolina follow a multi-step process before becoming law. A lawmaker starts by filing a bill, which is assigned to a committee for review. The bill must be read three times in each chamber. If one chamber changes the bill after the other passes it, both must agree on the final version. Once both chambers approve the same bill, it goes to the governor, who has 10 days (or 30 if the legislature is not in session) to sign, veto, or let it become law without a signature.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.

Cervania graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a BA.

Cervania, a Democrat, was elected to the North Carolina State House in 2023 to represent the state’s 41st House district, replacing previous state representative Gale Adcock.