ENROLLED
ACT No. 420
2021 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 211
BY REPRESENTATIVE WRIGHT
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 17:4035.1(C) through (E) and to enact R.S. 17:4035.1(F), (G),
3 and (H), relative to public school choice; to provide relative to school funding; to
4 provide relative to the applicability of school and district accountability; to provide
5 for an appeals process for public school choice enrollment denials; and to provide
6 for related matters.
7 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
8 Section 1. R.S. 17:4035.1(C) through (E) are hereby amended and reenacted and
9 R.S. 17:4035.1(F), (G), and (H) are hereby enacted to read as follows:
10 ยง4035.1. Public School Choice school choice
11 * * *
12 C.(1) If a school or governing authority denies the enrollment request of a
13 prospective student for an intradistrict transfer, the parent or legal guardian of the
14 student may request a review of the denial of the transfer requested by the State
15 Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Within ninety days of receipt of a
16 request for review, the state board shall determine if the capacity policy established
17 for the school was followed. If the state board determines that the school's policy
18 was not followed, the school's governing authority shall reconsider the transfer
19 request. However, the state board shall not approve any transfer request that would
20 exceed the enrollment capacity of a school or classroom, as established by the
21 school's governing authority.
22 (2) The state board shall adopt rules required for implementation of this
23 Subsection.
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1 D. Notwithstanding the provisions of R.S. 17:158 to the contrary, a school
2 system shall not be required to provide transportation to any student enrolled in a
3 public school pursuant to this Section that is located outside of the geographic
4 boundaries of the school system in which the student resides, if providing such
5 transportation will result in additional cost to the school system.
6 D. E. Any student enrolled in a public school pursuant to the provisions of
7 this Section shall be counted by the local public school system in which he is
8 enrolled for purposes of the minimum foundation program and formula, and any
9 other available state or federal funding for which the student is eligible.
10 E. F.(1) The governing authority of each public elementary and secondary
11 school shall work collaboratively and cooperatively to ensure compliance with the
12 provisions of this Section and shall adopt a policy to govern student transfers
13 authorized by this Section. Each governing authority shall develop a definition for
14 "capacity" for each school and shall incorporate it into written policy. The policies
15 shall include:
16 (a) A definition of "capacity" for each school.
17 (b) The transfer request period, which shall begin no later than March first
18 and end no earlier than March twenty-eighth, annually.
19 (2) Prior to the transfer request period, the public school governing authority
20 shall notify parents and legal guardians of students enrolled in a school that received
21 a "D" or "F" school performance letter grade pursuant to the state's school and
22 district accountability system for the most recent school year of the following:
23 (a) The provisions of this Section.
24 (b) The schools under the jurisdiction of the governing authority that
25 received an "A", "B", or "C" school performance letter grade, if any.
26 (c) The process for submitting student transfer requests.
27 (d) The page on the state Department of Education's website that contains
28 school performance data.
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1 (3) Such policies shall be posted to the school governing authority's website
2 no later than September 30, 2018, January 1, 2022, and reported to the state
3 Department of Education no later than December 31, 2018 January 30, 2022.
4 (2)(4) Any student transfer pursuant to the provisions of this Section shall
5 comply with the policy adopted by the governing authority of the school in which the
6 student seeks to enroll.
7 G. The state board shall report to the House Committee on Education and the
8 Senate Committee on Education no later than October thirty-first annually regarding
9 student transfers including but not limited to the following information,
10 disaggregated by economically disadvantaged status and race and ethnicity:
11 (1) The number of interdistrict student transfer requests received, accepted,
12 appealed, and denied during the most recent school year.
13 (2) The number of intradistrict student transfer requests received, accepted,
14 appealed, and denied during the most recent school year.
15 H. The provisions of this Chapter shall not be construed as requiring a school
16 with selective admission requirements to enroll a student who does not meet those
17 requirements, regardless of whether the school has excess capacity.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
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