RALEIGH, (SGRToday.com) - Six public comment sessions will be held to solicit input on the state's plan for complying with the re-authorization of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

The sessions will be held in April and May, conducted by the Department of Public Instruction.

States must develop a plan to comply with The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which was approved late last year to replace the No Child Left Behind Act.

Issues on the table are: school accountability, student assessments, support for struggling schools, and more.

Public Meeting Schedule:
-- Wednesday, April 13:  Ashley High School, 555 Halyburton Memorial Parkway, Wilmington

-- Thursday, April 21:  Green Hope High School, 2500 Carpenter Upchurch Road, Cary

-- Tuesday, April 26:  Mallard Creed High School, 3825 Johnston Center Road, Charlotte

-- Wednesday, April 27:  North Pitt High School, 5659 NC Highway, Bethel

-- Tuesday, May 17:  East Forsyth High School, 2500 W. Mountain Street, Kernersville

-- Wednesday, May 18:  Charles D. Owen High School, 99 Lake Eden Road, Black Mountain

Audience members who want to speak (up to 3 minutes) will be asked to sign in and are invited (but not required) to bring a copy of their remarks to submit into the record of the event. A recording and notes from each session also will be taken.