James (HB 115) Act No. 275
New law provides that parents of students attending a school that is directly operated by the
Recovery School District (RSD), that has not been identified for conversion to a charter
school pursuant to a charter contract between the State Bd. of Elementary and Secondary
Education (BESE) and a nonprofit charter organization, and that had a letter grade of "D" or
"F" for five consecutive years while under the jurisdiction of the RSD may submit a petition
to BESE requesting that the school be returned to the local school system from which it was
transferred. Requires approval of BESE and the respective local school board for such
transfer to occur. Requires signatures of parents representing at least a majority of the
students who have been enrolled in the school for at least two years. Requires BESE to adopt
rules and regulations for implementation of the petition process, including a petition format
and submission process, signature validation procedures, timelines, and student transfer
procedures. Prohibits the use of local school and school district resources to support or
oppose any effort by parents to gather signatures or submit petitions.
Effective August 1, 2013.
(Adds R.S. 17:10.5(G))