Published: June 10, 2021
By: Adrian Dubose, LSU Manship School News Service
BATON ROUGE — Lawmakers gave final approval Wednesday to a bill that would make kindergarten mandatory in Louisiana.
Senate Bill 10 by Sen. Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, requires parents to send their children to kindergarten at age 5 or offer a home-school equivalent in Louisiana.
The final version of the bill passed the House 70-32 and the Senate 38-0.
SB 10 will now go to the governor’s desk. Gov. John Bel Edwards has said he will sign it into law.
Under the bill, a child who is five years old on or before September 30 must be enrolled in kindergarten unless a parent feels they are ready. In that, the parent may put the child in pre-k or home-school.
Rep. Jason Hughes, D-New Orleans brought the bill back to the House floor after a House-Senate conference committee made amendments.
Some lawmakers raised concerns about compulsory attendance laws and options for if a child is not ready for kindergarten in the parents’ opinion.
Read more at The News Star
LSU Manship School Statehouse Bureau 