Education

signed · Louisiana · Senate Jun 23, 2026

SB 237: CHILDREN: Provides relative to child welfare. (8/1/26) (EN NO IMPACT See Note)

SB 237 requires schools in Louisiana to immediately report allegations of physical or sexual abuse against school employees to the state Department of Education. It creates a database tracking these reports and mandates schools check this database before hiring new employees to identify potential patterns of abuse. The bill also requires the Department of Children and Family Services to notify the state child ombudsman within three business days of child abuse or neglect fatalities or near-fatalities, including specific details like prior department involvement. Additionally, it directs the child ombudsman to notify legislators within 24 hours of any child death linked to abuse or neglect investigations. These provisions directly affect schools, school employees, child welfare agencies, and state legislators.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates school safety protocols for student protection, aligning with educational environment safeguards by requiring abuse reporting and background checks.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Louisiana · House Jun 9, 2026

HB 42: RETIREMENT/TEACHERS: Provides relative to a phased retirement program within the Teachers' Retirement System of Louisiana (EN INCREASE FC GF EX See Note)

HB 42 creates a phased retirement program for Louisiana teachers in the Teachers' Retirement System. It allows eligible teachers to gradually transition to full retirement by working reduced hours (e.g., 50% effort = 50% of full benefit) while receiving a proportionally reduced benefit based on their work percentage. During participation, their retirement benefit, compensation, and service credits are frozen at the program start date, and neither they nor their employer pay contributions to the retirement plan. Starting July 2027, employers will cover the full monthly administrative fee for the program, shifting from current cost-sharing. The bill is pending legislative action and would affect current teachers in the system who qualify for phased retirement under their employer’s policy.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationPhased retirement program supports teacher retention by enabling gradual transition, preserving classroom experience, and maintaining educator stability in Louisiana schools.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Louisiana · Senate Jun 8, 2026

SB 450: SCHOOLS: Requires mandatory reporting of school threats and provides for physical security school assessments for K-12 schools. (8/1/26) (EN SEE FISC NOTE GF EX)

This bill requires all K-12 school employees in Louisiana to immediately report any threats of violence or terrorism to local law enforcement and, if applicable, to the school administrator. It also mandates that law enforcement agencies forward these threat reports to the state's Louisiana Fusion Center within seven days, while protecting the privacy of students and individuals who made the reports. Additionally, the bill establishes a program where the Fusion Center will conduct free physical security assessments of public schools every three years starting in 2027, with optional assessments available for charter and nonpublic schools. The assessments will identify safety vulnerabilities and provide nonbinding recommendations for improvements, but schools are not required to implement these suggestions and will be protected from liability regardless of their decisions.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill strengthens public safety by requiring threat reporting to law enforcement and establishing security assessments, enhancing criminal justice prevention measures.85% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill enhances school safety through mandatory threat reporting and physical security assessments, protecting students and educators from violence.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Louisiana · House Jun 8, 2026

HB 386: SCHOOLS/CHARTER: Provides relative to charter school funding (EN NO IMPACT See Note)

HB 386 clarifies funding rules for Louisiana charter schools by requiring that Type 1, 3, 3B (non-LEA), and Type 4 charter schools receive per-pupil funding based on the state's minimum foundation program, adjusted for student needs. The bill allows these schools to operate as their own local education agency (LEA) for funding purposes with local school board approval, while Type 2 and 5 charter schools are automatically treated as the LEA. It also authorizes the state to withhold 0.25% of certain fees from charter schools to cover administrative costs for financial oversight. This affects all Louisiana charter schools receiving state funding and standardizes their financial relationship with local districts.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesClarifies per-pupil funding rules for charter schools, ensuring state budget allocation aligns with foundation program requirements, supporting equitable education funding distribution.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationClarifies and mandates per-pupil funding for charter schools based on state foundation program, ensuring equitable financial support for public education access and operations.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Louisiana · House Jun 8, 2026

HB 807: FUNDS/FUNDING: Establishes the Workforce Instructor Capacity Investment Program to enhance workforce training programs to meet employer demand in certain industry sectors (EN INCREASE SD EX See Note)

HB 807 establishes a special fund within Louisiana's state treasury to support the Community and Technical College System's workforce training programs. It directly affects community colleges and private-sector employers in high-demand industries like healthcare, manufacturing, and information technology by providing funding to hire more instructors and expand training capacity. Key provisions include using the fund for rapid-response instructor deployment, recruitment incentives, temporary instructors, and salary supplements - while prohibiting these funds from replacing existing state higher education funding. The program requires annual reporting to legislative committees on fund usage, supported industries, and credentials awarded.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesEstablishes a state treasury fund to allocate resources for workforce training programs, directly increasing state budget allocation for public education and economic development.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationEstablishes special fund to hire instructors and expand workforce training in community colleges, directly increasing funding for higher education programs.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill funds workforce training for healthcare industry sectors via instructor capacity investments, directly supporting healthcare workforce development and employer demand needs.85% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyFunds IT workforce training programs to meet employer demand in high-demand tech sectors within Louisiana's Community and Technical College System.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Louisiana · House Jun 8, 2026

HB 821: LAW ENFORCEMENT: Provides for the establishment of the Louisiana Center for Safe Schools within the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice (EN +$250,000 GF EX See Note)

HB 821 establishes the Louisiana Center for Safe Schools within the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice. The center will administer school and nonprofit security programs, develop statewide safety frameworks (including threat assessment models), and provide training on emergency planning, facility security, and crisis response to schools and nonprofits. It will coordinate with state agencies like the Department of Education and coordinate emergency notification systems while maintaining data privacy. The bill also creates a 13-member advisory council, including education and law enforcement leaders, to review safety frameworks and recommend grant priorities.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationEstablishes school safety center with DE coordination, developing threat assessment models and crisis response training to protect schools and students.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Louisiana · House Jun 8, 2026

HB 325: TOPS: Provides relative to TOPS-Tech (EN INCREASE GF EX See Note)

HB 325 revises Louisiana's TOPS-Tech scholarship eligibility by adding a new pathway for students to qualify. Instead of requiring only a minimum GPA or ACT score, students can now qualify by completing at least nine credit hours of early college coursework (through dual enrollment or technical programs) or equivalent validated skills. This change applies to first-time freshmen enrolling in college during or after the 2026-2027 academic year. The bill directly affects Louisiana students seeking this career-focused scholarship by expanding how they can meet academic requirements.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationAdds alternative pathway for TOPS-Tech eligibility via early college coursework, expanding access to higher education scholarships for Louisiana students.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

passed · Louisiana · House Jun 3, 2026

HR 333: STUDENT/DISCIPLINE: Requests public school governing authorities and employees to comply with and enforce the bullying laws of the state of Louisiana

This resolution urges public school officials and employees in Louisiana to follow existing state laws against bullying. It does not create new rules but asks schools to enforce current requirements that mandate anti-bullying policies, reporting procedures, and staff training. The document directs copies of this request to local school superintendents and charter school authorities. By emphasizing compliance with current statutes, the bill aims to ensure consistent enforcement of student safety measures already established by the legislature.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill enforces existing anti-bullying laws to protect student safety and ensure consistent enforcement of safety policies in schools.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

Track

passed · Louisiana · House Jun 3, 2026

HR 74: HEALTH/CHILDREN: Urges and requests the state Department of Education and local public school governing authorities to report to the House Committee on Health and Welfare relative to accommodating students with seizure disorders

This resolution asks the state Department of Education and local school districts to submit a report by January 1, 2027, on how they are helping students with seizure disorders in schools. The report must cover how seizure action plans are being used, whether staff have completed required training, and how access to prescribed seizure rescue medications is being managed. While existing law already requires seizure training and action plans, this bill seeks to gather data on implementation to identify gaps and improve consistency across the state. The resolution does not create new laws or funding but instead requests information to help the legislature evaluate how well current policies are working.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill seeks to improve accommodations for students with seizure disorders, enhancing educational access and safety for vulnerable students through data collection on implementation of existing requirements.75% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

Track

signed · Louisiana · House Jun 2, 2026

HB 1059: TOPS: Provides relative to core curriculum requirements for TOPS and TOPS-Tech awards in the subject of mathematics (EN NO IMPACT See Note)

This bill updates the mathematics course requirements for students to qualify for Louisiana's TOPS scholarship awards, including Opportunity, Performance, Honors, Excellence, and TOPS-Tech programs. It establishes specific math course sequences that students must complete, allowing them to choose between traditional Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II or an alternative integrated mathematics sequence. The law sets different requirements based on graduation year, with some students needing three math units while others need four, and it expands course options for TOPS-Tech recipients to include applied math and computer science classes. These changes directly affect high school students graduating between 2021 and 2030 who wish to receive state scholarship funding.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill updates math course requirements to allow alternative integrated sequences, expanding educational access and providing flexibility in curriculum while maintaining scholarship eligibility.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education