Arts Now Required for All NC High School Graduates

High school graduates in the state of North Carolina will now have to complete one credit course to receive their diploma. The arts education graduation requirement was included in Senate Bill 681, Agency Policy Directives/2019-2020. This bill was adopted by the General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Cooper on July 1. This new law requires the State Board of Education to modify the State graduation requirement to include one required credit in arts education to be completed by each student at any time in grades six through 12. The State Board of Education must implement the arts education graduation requirement beginning with students entering the sixth grade in 2022.  

Advocacy Works! There have been half a dozen bills filed to create this graduation requirement over the last decade. The NC Arts Education Leadership Coalition (AELC) that represents dance educators, music educators, theatre educators, visual arts educators and ArtsNC continued to build positive relationships with education leadership in the Legislature. The passage of this requirement could not have come at a better time as we are all advocating for the continuation of music & arts education programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The many arts supporters and arts education leaders that have worked on this over the years are celebrating.