2022 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE BILL NO. 50
BY SENATOR HEWITT AND REPRESENTATIVE GAROFALO
1 AN ACT
2 To enact R.S. 17:4035.2, relative to public school choice in certain high school programs;
3 to provide for high school programs of choice; to provide for eligibility criteria for
4 students and high schools; to provide for restrictions; to provide relative to the
5 responsibilities of public school systems; and to provide for related matters.
6 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
7 Section 1. R.S. 17:4035.2 is hereby enacted to read as follows:
8 ยง4035.2. Public high school program of choice
9 A. For the purposes of this Section, a "program of choice" shall mean a
10 public high school program that allows a student to concurrently pursue a high
11 school diploma and one of the following:
12 (1) A postsecondary degree, credential, or certificate.
13 (2) A state-registered apprenticeship or pre-apprenticeship.
14 B. A student may enroll in a program of choice offered within his school
15 system, without regard to attendance zones, provided that both of the following
16 apply:
17 (1) The program of choice and the high school offering the program have
ACT No. 533
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1 available capacity at the appropriate grade level.
2 (2) The program of choice is not offered at the public high school in
3 which the student was most recently enrolled or would otherwise attend.
4 C. The governing authority of each public high school shall adopt
5 policies to govern student transfers to each program of choice that include:
6 (1) A definition of "capacity" for each high school and each program of
7 choice.
8 (2) The transfer request period, which shall begin no later than March
9 first and end no earlier than March twenty-eighth, annually.
10 (3) The process for submitting a transfer request.
11 (4) Admission requirements, if any, for each program of choice.
12 (5) The process for requesting review by the State Board of Elementary
13 and Secondary Education in accordance with R.S. 17:4035.1(C) of a denial of
14 a request to transfer to a program of choice.
15 D. The governing authority of each public high school shall:
16 (1) Partner with local businesses and public postsecondary education
17 institutions to grow programs of choice that are relevant to the school's local
18 area and to the state and that lead to careers in high-demand, high-paying
19 fields.
20 (2) Work to ensure that programs of choice are evenly distributed, to the
21 greatest extent possible, among the high schools in the school system.
22 E. The authority to enroll a student in a program of choice shall not be
23 permitted and shall not be exercised if doing so violates an order of a court of
24 competent jurisdiction.
25 F. The provisions of this Section shall not be construed as requiring a
26 high school or a program of choice with selective admission requirements to
27 enroll a student who does not meet the admission requirements, regardless of
28 whether the school or program of choice has available capacity.
29 Section 2. This Act shall become effective upon signature by the governor or, if not
30 signed by the governor, upon expiration of the time for bills to become law without signature
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1 by the governor, as provided by Article III, Section 18 of the Constitution of Louisiana. If
2 vetoed by the governor and subsequently approved by the legislature, this Act shall become
3 effective on the day following such approval.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
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