The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part of the
legislative instrument, were prepared by Cheryl Serrett.
DIGEST
SB 50 Original 2022 Regular Session Hewitt
Present law provides for public school choice for certain students by allowing students enrolled in
schools that earned a "D" or "F" pursuant to the state's accountability system during the prior school
year to transfer to certain schools that received an "A", "B", or "C".
Proposed law allows a student to enroll in a program of choice under certain circumstances.
Proposed law defines a "program of choice" as a public high school program that allows a student
to concurrently pursue a high school diploma and one of the following:
(1)A postsecondary degree, credential, or certificate.
(2)A state-registered apprenticeship or pre-apprenticeship.
Proposed law allows a high school student to enroll in a program of choice offered within his school
system, without regard to attendance zones, provided that both of the following apply:
(1)The program of choice and the high school offering the program have available capacity at
the appropriate grade level.
(2)The program of choice is not offered at the public high school in which the student was most
recently enrolled, or would otherwise attend.
Proposed law requires the governing authority of each public high school to adopt policies to govern
student transfers to programs of choice. Proposed law further requires the governing authority rules
to include:
(1)A definition of "capacity" for each high school and each program of choice.
(2)The transfer request period, which shall begin no later than March first and end no earlier
than March twenty-eighth, annually.
(3)The process for submitting a student transfer request for each program.
(4)Admission requirements, if any, for each program.
(5)The process for requesting review of a denial of a request to transfer to a program of choice
by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education in accordance with present law
(R.S. 17:4035.1(C)). Proposed law restricts the authority to enroll a student in a program of choice if the enrollment
violates an order of a court of competent jurisdiction.
Proposed law provides that the proposed law shall not be construed as requiring a high school or a
program of choice with selective admission requirements to enroll a student who does not meet the
admission requirements, regardless of whether the school or program of choice has available
capacity.
Effective upon signature of the governor or lapse of time for gubernatorial action.
(Adds R.S. 17:4035.2)