Louisiana § RS 17:221.6 - Louisiana School Dropout Recovery Program

§ RS 17:221.6. Louisiana School Dropout Recovery Program

            A. Each school district and charter school that provides instruction to high school students may offer a dropout recovery program for eligible students. School districts and charter schools should maximize the use of federal Title 1 funds and funds provided through the minimum foundation program formula to establish such programs.

            B. The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education's prescribed standards and achievement testing requirements shall apply to dropout recovery programs.

            C. The dropout recovery program shall do the following:

            (1) Make available appropriate and sufficient supports for students, including tutoring, career counseling, and college counseling.

            (2) Comply with federal and state laws governing students with disabilities.

            (3) Meet state requirements for high school graduation.

            D. Each eligible student enrolled in a dropout recovery program shall have an individual graduation plan developed by the student's assigned academic coach. The plan shall comply with the provisions of R.S. 17:2925 and include the following elements:

            (1) The start date and anticipated end date of the plan.

            (2) Courses to be completed by the student during the academic year.

            (3) Whether courses will be taken sequentially or concurrently.

            (4) State competency exams to be taken, as necessary.

            (5) Expectations for satisfactory monthly progress.

            (6) Expectations for contact with the student's assigned academic coach.

            E. Each student enrolled in a dropout recovery program pursuant to this Section shall be recorded on a monthly basis as participating in the program and shall be included in the student enrollment count for the school or school system offering the program. Each participating school and school system shall record, each month, all of the students who meet the following criteria for actively participating in the dropout recovery program:

            (1) Newly enrolled students who have an individual graduation plan on file on or before the first school day of the month.

            (2) Students who met the expectations for satisfactory monthly progress for the month.

            (3) Students who did not meet the expectations for satisfactory monthly progress for the month but did meet the expectations one of the two previous months.

            (4) Students who met expectations for program reentry in the revised individual graduation plan in the previous month.

            F. School districts and charter schools may contract with an educational management organization to provide a dropout recovery program. If contracting with an educational management organization, the school district or charter school shall ensure that all of the following requirements are met:

            (1) The educational management organization is accredited by a regional accrediting body.

            (2) Teachers provided by the educational management organization hold a current teaching license from any state, and teachers of core subjects are highly qualified in the subjects to which they are assigned.

            (3) The educational management organization has provided one or more dropout recovery programs for at least two years prior to providing a program pursuant to this Section.

            G. Dropout recovery programs shall be classified as alternative programs.

            H. Entities that are contracted to provide dropout recovery programs may conduct outreach to encourage students who are not enrolled in a school district or charter school in this state to return to school. Entities that are contracted to provide dropout recovery programs shall not conduct advertising or marketing campaigns directed at students who are currently enrolled in a school district or charter school, or undertake any other activity that encourages students who are enrolled in a school district or charter school to stop attending school in order to qualify for a dropout recovery program. All contracts entered into by a city, parish, or other local public school board for the provision of student dropout recovery programs shall include requirements for the protection of all personally identifiable student information that shall comply with all applicable state and federal law and regulations.

            I. For purposes of this Section:

            (1) "Academic coach" is an adult who assists students in selecting courses needed to meet graduation requirements, monitors student pace and progress through the program, and conducts regular pace and progress interventions.

            (2) "Eligible student" means a student who is not enrolled in a school district or charter school and who has been withdrawn from a school district or charter school for at least thirty days, unless a school administrator determines that the student is unable to participate in other district programs.

            (3) "Satisfactory monthly progress" means an amount of progress that is measurable on a monthly basis and that, if continued for a full twelve months, would result in the same amount of academic credit being awarded to the student as would be awarded to a student in a traditional education program who completes a full school year. Satisfactory monthly progress may include a lesser required amount of progress for the first two months that a student participates in the program.

            (4) "School district" or "district" means a city, parish, or other local public school system.

            Acts 2014, No. 530, §1; Acts 2015, No. 392, §1; Acts 2018, No. 307, §1; Acts 2020, No. 238, §1, eff. June 11, 2020.