Parents could soon have say over superintendents for K-12 supplemental courses

A state program to allow K-12 students access to more classes faces revisions this legislative session. 

The Course Choice Program, also referred to as the Supplemental Course Academy, allows students to take classes they cannot typically access. Created in 2012, the program is offered to K-12 students who want to supplement their course load or improve in areas where they’re deficient. 

The House Committee Education advanced Senate Bill 38, authored by Sen. Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge, which would shift the authority for students to pursue courses from superintendents to parents, with consultation from their schools.  

Courses offered through the course program include advanced placement, dual enrollment, technical education, test preparation, foreign language and other core academic classes. They are offered virtually, in person and hybrid options and paid with state funding.

“The job of the school is to provide the information, to counsel that student on appropriate academic advising, but ultimately that decision really should be the decision of the family and that child based on what their learning needs are, based on what their interests are,” said Erin Bendily, vice president of policy and strategy at the Pelican Institute, a conservative policy group that supports Edmonds’ bill.

The legislation would also prohibit students from enrolling in courses their school deems not “academically appropriate” or if they go against the Louisiana Department of Education’s published student high school planning guides to keep students on track.

The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approves providers and courses for the Course Choice Program. 

Edmonds’ bill passed without objection.