Education

This bill establishes and regulates prekindergarten programs in Louisiana by setting child safety and welfare standards for both public and nonpublic schools. It requires all prekindergarten programs to maintain specific staff-to-child ratios and ensure at least two staff members are present when more than four children are in a facility. The legislation also mandates that nonpublic prekindergarten programs be licensed as early learning centers and requires parents to acknowledge that these programs are not subject to federal daycare regulations. Additionally, the bill directs local school boards to develop mixed provider delivery models for full-day, year-round prekindergarten instruction starting in the 2023-2024 school year.

HB 363 allows students enrolled in virtual schools to join public school extracurricular activities and sports teams at their neighborhood school based on where they live. It requires schools to treat virtual students the same as in-person students for tryouts, eligibility, and participation standards like grades and conduct. The bill prohibits schools from excluding virtual students from activities solely due to their enrollment type and bans participation in athletic associations that deny such students eligibility. This directly affects virtual school students in Louisiana and the public schools they reside near.

HB 351 repeals two specific provisions related to Louisiana's reentry preparation program for formerly incarcerated individuals. It removes a requirement (R.S. 15:827.1(E)) about reentry programs and eliminates an entrepreneurial educational curriculum component within that program. This bill directly affects inmates participating in Louisiana's reentry programs by removing these specific policy requirements from state law. The change is procedural, with no new requirements or funding added.

SB 399 creates the Louisiana Higher Education Research Security Council to protect the state's colleges and universities from foreign adversaries. The law requires institutions to report and restrict gifts, contracts, research partnerships, and academic collaborations with entities from countries or groups designated as foreign adversaries, while prohibiting certain travel and gifts from such sources. It defines key terms like "foreign adversary" and "foreign source," and includes penalties for violations, such as the theft of trade secrets. The bill directly affects all Louisiana institutions of higher education that grant degrees or have a physical presence in the state.

This bill amends Louisiana laws governing prekindergarten programs by removing the requirement that nonpublic prekindergarten programs be licensed as early learning centers, while applying child safety and welfare standards to all school-based prekindergarten programs. The legislation allows the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to approve nonpublic prekindergarten programs and authorizes the board to adopt emergency rules when necessary. Key provisions include revised child-to-staff ratios that vary by age group and a phased implementation schedule, with stricter ratios taking effect starting in the 2027-2028 school year. The bill also clarifies definitions for "camp" and "early learning center" to distinguish between standalone programs and those attached to schools.

SB 13 modifies how Louisiana's Teachers' Retirement System calculates employer contributions and handles investment returns. It changes the method for applying excess investment returns to reduce the system's debt, specifically requiring reamortization (resetting payment schedules) when the system reaches 80% funding or every five years starting in 2019. This affects the state's payments into the retirement fund and directly impacts public school teachers' retirement benefits. The bill repeals outdated calculation rules and clarifies how future contributions will be applied to the system's debt.