From the May 6th, 2021 N&O:

“This bill creates an avenue for teachers to be able to utilize their personal leave benefit without being docked $50 a day from their pay,” Rep. Jeffrey Elmore, a Wilkes County Republican and the bill’s primary sponsor, said Thursday.

But if House Bill 362 becomes law, teachers who don’t provide a reason would be charged the full cost of hiring a substitute, which could be more than $100 a day. The bill now goes to the Senate.

The legislation addresses how North Carolina is one of the few states that requires teachers to help pay for the cost of hiring substitutes.

If I as a teacher am going to take a personal day, then maybe my reason for taking it is personal.

But knowing this NCGA, they will create a drop down list of reasons that are acceptable to them for taking a personal day so as to “monitor” teachers.

Maybe “None of your damn business” and ” I am coming to Raleigh to tell you lawmakers how bad you have been treating educators” will be on that list.

And yet they couldn’t even bother to clarify what a valid reason would be in that bill which just became law. Remember that Elmore himself is a teacher.