Read the full stored bill text
2025-2026 Bill 4725: Mandatory recording of public school instruction - South Carolina Legislature Online
South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
Download
This Bill
in Microsoft Word Format
Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter
H. 4725
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Reps. Burns, Pedalino and McCravy
Document Path: LC-0525WAB26.docx
Introduced in the House on January 13, 2026
Currently residing in the House
Summary: Mandatory recording of public school instruction
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS
Date
Body
Action Description with journal page number
12/16/2025
House
Prefiled
12/16/2025
House
Referred to Committee on
Education and Public Works
1/13/2026
House
Introduced and read first time (
House Journal-page 68
)
1/13/2026
House
Referred to Committee on
Education and Public Works
(
House Journal-page 68
)
2/4/2026
House
Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Pedalino
2/11/2026
House
Member(s) request name added as sponsor: McCravy
View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
12/17/2025
A bill
TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION
59-33-130
SO AS TO PROVIDE ALL K-12 PUBLIC SCHOOLS SHALL RECORD ALL SPECIAL
EDUCATION CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION, TO PROVIDE FOR THE RETENTION AND DISCLOSURE OF
RECORDINGS, TO PROVIDE CONSENT AND PRIVACY REQUIREMENTS, TO PROVIDE RELATED
REQUIREMENTS OF THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, TO PROVIDE REPORTING
REQUIREMENTS OF SCHOOLS, AND TO PROHIBIT THE COMMERCIAL USE OF RECORDINGS,
AMONG OTHER THINGS.
W
hereas, the South
Carolina General Assembly finds that public access to classroom instruction
recordings can enhance transparency, foster accountability, enable parental
engagement, ensure adherence to educational standards, and provide an
additional measure of protection for the especially vulnerable students in
special education settings; and
W
hereas, the South
Carolina General Assembly also recognizes the need to address privacy concerns
and protect the rights of students and educators; and
W
hereas, the South
Carolina General Assembly finds it necessary and appropriate to ensure
transparency and accountability in K-12 public education by requiring the
recording of all classroom instruction and making these recordings available as
public records, subject to certain privacy limitations. Now, therefore,
B
e it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
S
ECTION 1.
A
rticle 1, Chapter 33, Title 59 of the S.C. Code is
amended by adding:
S
ection
59-33-130
.
(
A)
(
1) All K-12 public schools shall
record all special education classroom instruction including, but not limited
to, teacher lectures, guest lectures, classroom discussions, and other
instructional activities, whether conducted in-person or virtually. A recording
including video and audio must be made, but in the temporary absence of
properly functioning video recording technology an audio recording may be made.
(
2)
Schools are responsible for providing and maintaining the necessary equipment
for recording and ensuring the secure storage of recordings.
(
3)
Schools must notify students and their guardians about the recording of
classroom instruction upon enrollment. Explicit written consent is required
from students aged eighteen years or older, and from the parents or guardians
of students under eighteen years of age, before the student may be video
recorded. Schools must retain records of this written consent for five years
after the date on which consent was granted.
(
4)
Recordings must be accessible to the public in compliance with the South
Carolina Freedom of Information Act for a period of five years after recording
is made.
(
B)
(
1) Schools must implement procedures
to redact or anonymize recordings to protect the privacy of students and
educators. This includes blurring faces or voices and removing personal
identifiers.
(
2)
Recordings containing sensitive or confidential content, excluding personnel
matters, may be exempt from public disclosure but must still be recorded and
stored for internal review.
(
3)
A review process must be established to address concerns about privacy and
content sensitivity before making recordings publicly available.
(
C)
The State Department of Education shall:
(
1)
oversee compliance with the provisions of this section and provide guidance and
support to schools; and
(
2)
promulgate regulations to carry out the purposes of this section.
(
D)
Schools must submit annual reports to the overseeing authority detailing
compliance, challenges, and any incidents involving privacy concerns. A school
must notify the department within twenty-four hours after any interruption in
its recording or storage capacity, and the department shall maintain a record
of such incidents.
(
E)
Schools failing to comply with recording requirements or FOIA provisions may
face penalties, including fines or administrative action.
(
F)
The commercial use of recordings made pursuant to this section is prohibited. A
person who uses recordings made pursuant to this section in violation of this
subsection is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished
by a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars or by imprisonment for not more
than thirty days, or both, in the discretion of the court, for each offense.
S
ECTION 2. This act takes effect on July 1,
2026.
----XX----
This web page was last updated on January 13, 2026 at 2:39 PM