Senate Bill No. 81, introduced by Senator Edmonds, aims to enhance academic transparency and parental access to instructional materials in public elementary and secondary schools in Louisiana. The bill mandates that local school boards adopt rules ensuring that instructional materials are readily available for parental review, specifying reasonable hours for in-person access, and providing free access to online instructional materials. Additionally, it requires that parents can obtain paper copies of materials at a reasonable fee, while ensuring that no fees are charged for in-person viewing or online access. The bill also allows local school boards to develop policies for in-person viewing of academic assessments and mandates that they submit their rules and fee schedules to the state Department of Education.

The proposed legislation retains existing rights for parents to review instructional materials and surveys related to their children. It clarifies that online access to instructional materials is limited to curricula adopted by the local school board, and it removes nonsecure tests and assessments from the list of materials that must be provided to parents. Furthermore, the Department of Education is tasked with compiling compliance reports from local school boards by March 9, 2026, to ensure adherence to the new regulations. The bill is set to take effect on August 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
SB81 Original: 17:355(C)