Student Choice (Act 2)

 

In 2012, three acts were passed into law as part of a statewide initiative toward major education reform. Act 2, also referred to as the Choice Law, increases parents’ and students’ freedom to make choices throughout the education process in several ways:

• Louisiana’s Student Scholarships for Excellence Program has been expanded statewide, providing state-funded scholarships for low-income students who attend a C, D, or F school to enroll in state-approved non-public schools or A and B public schools outside their attendance zone.
  
• Charter school applicants in certain districts can now apply directly to BESE, and high-performing charter schools’ operators can expand without repeating the entire first-time applicant process.
  
• The Course Choice program creates new opportunities for students in grades K-12 to take courses from an array of providers and across a full range of disciplines, including Advanced Placement classes, career and technical education, and dual enrollment courses.
  
• Parents of students who attend chronically failing schools can now vote to have schools placed in the state-run Recovery School District (RSD).