Senators back mandatory kindergarten bill for Louisiana
April 21, 2021 GMT
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) Louisiana would make kindergarten mandatory if lawmakers agree to a bill that won support Wednesday from a Senate committee.
The proposal from Senate Education Chairman Cleo Fields would require children who turn 5 years old by Sept. 30 of each year to attend kindergarten, starting with the 2022-23 school year. People who homeschool their children would be required to start with kindergarten.
Under current state law, children in Louisiana are required to attend school from the ages of 7 to 18, unless they graduate early from high school.
Fields’ committee approved the bill on a 5-1 vote, sending it to the Senate floor. It is expected to be diverted to a second hearing before the Senate budget committee because it could cost the state millions more each year by adding more students to public school rolls.
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Senators Back Mandatory Kindergarten Bill for Louisiana
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Mar 7, 2021 5:56 PM
Students arrive by bus at Foundation Preparatory School for their return to school during the coronavirus in New Orleans on Monday, Oct. 12, 2020. It was the first day of in-person learning for fifth-12th grade public school students in Orleans Parish. (Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) A state Senate education leader’s effort to make kindergarten mandatory in Louisiana is renewing divisions about an idea that has previously failed to win legislative passage.
The Advocate reports that backers of the requirement, up for debate in the legislative session that starts next month, say it would dovetail with state efforts to expand early childhood education and could help the state improve its poor performance in public schools.