RÉSUMÉ DIGEST
ACT 240 (HB 517) 2019 Regular Session Smith
New law requires each public school governing authority to adopt and publish on its website
a policy for the assessment, collection, and use of fees. Requires specified components to
be included in such policies including fee lists, amounts and use, a process for requesting
waivers due to economic hardship, and an appeals process when waivers are denied.
Requires each public school to publish the policy on its website and include it in the school's
student handbook.
Existing law, relative to the Student Scholarships for Educational Excellence Program,
specifies requirements relative to schools (nonpublic and public) that participate in the
program. Requires that participating schools accept the scholarship amounts provided to
scholarship recipients as full payment of all educational costs, including incidental or
supplementary fees that are charged to all enrolled students including but not limited to
meals, field trips, and before- or after-school care. New law additionally requires
participating schools to identify all such fees that are paid with the scholarship. Provides that
for any fees not charged to all enrolled students and not paid by the scholarship, the school
shall adopt and disseminate to parents of scholarship recipients a policy that outlines the fee,
its purpose, the amount charged, and a process by which parents of scholarship recipients
may apply for and receive a waiver of the fee due to economic hardship, including objective
criteria for granting such waivers. Requires that such policy shall include a statement
prohibiting the education records of a scholarship recipient from being withheld due to
failure to pay any fine, debt, or other outstanding obligation.
New law provides that school supplies requested by classroom teachers shall not exceed a
published amount per student per school year as determined by the public school governing
authority. Requires school principals to approve school supplies. Requires that, before
assessing a school supplies fee or developing a school supply list, the existing school supply
inventory shall be considered. Provides that a student shall not be denied the opportunity to
participate in a classroom activity due to his inability to provide requested supplies.
Effective August 1, 2019.
(Amends R.S. 17:4022(4); Adds R.S. 17:177, 178, and 3996(B)(54) and (55); Repeals R.S.
17:177(F))