Governor's Advisory Council for Student Safety and Well-Being

Four individuals (three male and one female) pose together.

In April 2025 Gov. Josh Stein established via executive order the Governor’s Advisory Council for Student Safety & Well-Being. The mission of the Advisory Council is to advance North Carolina’s commitment to safe, welcoming and inclusive schools by proposing and implementing solutions to promote school safety and improve student physical, social and emotional well-being. 

Since school and student safety is the collective responsibility of educational, health, public safety and state and local leadership, the Advisory Council shall work across agencies to advance recommendations by providing guidance to state agencies and local communities, by convening stakeholders and sharing best practices. The Advisory Council is expected to consult with education, mental health, security and law enforcement experts with experiences relevant to the Advisory Council’s mission.
 

Executive Order 13

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The Advisory Council’s first duty is to recommend best practices for public school units in drafting and implementing policies for student wireless communication devices, including cell phones. In drafting the best practices, the Advisory Council will consider appropriate exceptions to include educational, medical and instructional needs. The Advisory Council shall recommend appropriate communication with stakeholders, including parents, teachers, staff and students, and considerations for resources needed to implement such policies. The Advisory Council will produce a best practices guide for use in implementing policies for wireless communication devices including cell phones for North Carolina public school units by no later than June 3, 2025.

Additionally, the Advisory Council will address issues related to student physical, social and emotional well-being with an emphasis on, but not limited to the following areas:

  • Prevention of acts of school violence, including improvements to campus security and implementation of safe gun storage awareness;
  • Examination of behavioral health issues confronting students, including self-harm and substance misuse, and identification of supports needed to address these challenges;
  • Review of and recommendations for improving student physical health, including access to physical activity in school and free school meals;
  • Audit and recommendations for supporting, recruiting, and retaining school health personnel and school resource officers; and
  • Examination of school disciplinary outcomes, practices and effective use of non-exclusionary interventions
     

NameTitleOrganizationNC School Region
Sydney Batch*Senate Democratic LeaderNorth Carolina General AssemblyNorth Central
William "Billy" Lassiter*Deputy Secretary, JJDPNC Department of Public SafetyN/A
Heather Smith*TeacherHaywood County SchoolsWestern
Sharon BellDeputy DirectorNC Department of Health and Human ServicesN/A
Brian BiggsHouse Deputy Majority WhipNorth Carolina General AssemblyPiedmont Triad
Lindsey PratherRepresentativeNorth Carolina General AssemblyWestern
David W. Craven Jr.SenatorNorth Carolina General AssemblyPiedmont Triad
Kristie HowellChief Court CounselorNC Department of Public SafetySoutheast
Bettina UmsteadBoard MemberDurham Public SchoolsNorth Central
Asia PrinceDirector of Court ProgramsAdministrative Office of the CourtsN/A
Natalia BotellaSpecial Deputy Attorney GeneralNC Department of JusticeN/A
Dr. Shaneeka Moore-LawrencePresidentNC Parent Teacher AssociationN/A
Justice WarrenAssistant Legal CounselNC School Boards AssociationN/A
Annie GoldbergCounselorAlamance-Burlington SchoolsPiedmont Triad
Mary Katherine StilesPsychologistCumberland County SchoolsSandhills
Beckie SpearsPrincipalWilkes County SchoolsNorthwest
Freddie WilliamsonSuperintendentRobeson County SchoolsSandhills
Karen FairleyExecutive DirectorCenter for Safer SchoolsN/A
Julie McManus WerryPublic School ParentN/ASouthwest
Roger "Chip" HawleyDirectorState Bureau of IntelligenceN/A
Emma HodsonAttorneyPitt County SchoolsNortheast
Melissa LassenNurseChatham County Schools 
Deputy Rhyne RankinsSchool Resource OfficerIredell County Sheriff's OfficeSouthwest
Mark McHughDirector of SafetyCharlotte-Mecklenburg SchoolsSouthwest
Tara HardySocial WorkerCraven County SchoolsSoutheast
Alan DuncanVice ChairState Board of EducationPiedmont Triad
Dr. Paul SmokowskiExecutive DirectorNC Youth Violence Prevention Center 

*co-chair

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