INDReporter

Policy couture and grading scales

by Leslie Turk

Gov. Bobby Jindal signed into law two bills Wednesday from Lafayette lawmakers seeking to influence the policies that guide public school grading scales and dress codes. Gov. Bobby Jindal signed into law two bills Wednesday from Lafayette lawmakers seeking to influence the policies that guide public school grading scales and dress codes. The new laws are as varied as their authors, Democratic Rep. Rickey Hardy and Republican Rep. Nancy Landry.

Hardy's House Bill 433 requires the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to develop a uniform grading scale for use in public schools. Enforcement falls to school boards and local superintendents, but any school operated by the U.S. Department of Defense is exempt. BESE is expected to appoint a task force soon, and the rules will have to be in place prior to the 2011-2012 school year.

Landry's House Bill 1481 gets a little more specific when it comes to notifying parents about public school dress codes. The new law requires school boards to notify parents in writing at least 60 days prior to the effective date of an adoption or modification to any uniform policy.

To further examine these new laws, and to see all 738 bills Jindal has endorsed so far, jump over to www.legis.state.la.us.