Education (K-12 Education)

This bill requires students who receive Louisiana's TOPS scholarship to repay their award if they fail to maintain eligibility, resign from their college, or do not earn a bachelor's degree by the end of their fifth academic year. The repayment applies to the amount paid on the student's behalf for their first year of enrollment, but it does not apply if the student transfers to a community and technical college within 12 months and completes an eligible workforce program within 36 months. The administering agency must create rules to handle repayment exceptions, partial repayments, and collection methods, and must submit annual reports on TOPS student outcomes and repayment data. The law applies to high school graduates who enroll in college during or after the 2025-2026 school year.

SB 269, the "Charlie Kirk Success Sequencing Act," requires Louisiana public and nonpublic high schools to provide students with information about a specific "success sequence" designed to reduce poverty risk. The bill mandates teaching that students should complete three steps in order: earn a high school diploma or equivalent, enter full-time work (either immediately or after postsecondary education), and marry before having children. This is based on cited statistics linking this sequence to lower poverty rates, higher graduation rates, and reduced incarceration, as outlined in the bill's legislative findings. The law applies directly to Louisiana high school students through required curriculum content in preventive education or program of study offerings.