§ 17:221.6 — Louisiana School Dropout Recovery Program

Louisiana § 17:221.6

• Jurisdiction: Louisiana
• Title 17: Credit Union Law

Text

§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.

Legislative History

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