Sen. McInnis files bill in North Carolina Senate to limit class periods in public schools

A new bill filed by State Sen. McInnis seeks to regulate instructional time in public schools by limiting each class period to no more than 50 minutes, according to the North Carolina State Senate.

The bill, filed as SB 470 on March 24 during the 2025 regular session, was formally listed with the short title: ‘End Block Scheduling.’

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

In essence, this bill mandates that public school classes in North Carolina follow a schedule where no class period exceeds 50 minutes of instructional time per day, effectively ending block scheduling formats where longer class periods are common. Additionally, it requires each local board of education to report school start and release times to the State Board of Education and submit a copy of the class schedule demonstrating compliance with the new scheduling rule. The legislation is set to take effect starting with the 2026-27 school year.

Of the two sponsors of this bill, Timothy D. Moffitt proposed the most bills (52) 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.

Mclnnis, a Republican, was elected to the North Carolina State Senate in 2023 to represent the state’s 21st Senate district, replacing previous state senator Ben Clark.