La. Admin. Code tit. 28 § CXV-3605

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024

Section CXV-3605 - Policies and Procedures

A. Each public school governing authority may establish learning pods as an extension of any school under its jurisdiction.

B. The establishment of a learning pod shall be subject to policies and procedures adopted by a public school governing authority, which, at a minimum, shall provide for the following:

1. the student population of the learning pod, which may be a blended population of students of different grade levels, including the proposed number of students enrolled in each learning pod;

2. the method of instruction for the learning pod, which may occur in-person at a physical location on the school campus, remotely through virtual instruction, or through a hybrid approach that combines both methods, including the proposed school times for each learning pod;

3. any specialized curriculum or program provided in the learning pod;

4. the process for a parent to request student assignment to a learning pod, grant authorization for student assignment to a learning pod if recommended by school officials, and withdraw a student from a learning pod;

5. the process for seeking parent approval to enroll additional students in the learning pod should the enrollment in a learning pod fall below the threshold of 10 students;

6. emergency procedures required for each learning pod, which must be included in the emergency plan developed in accordance with §339 of this Part and must include the following:

a. a description of available communications systems located at the learning pod;

b. whether teachers at the learning pod have been trained on the incident report policy, threat assessment policy, and emergency response procedures of the public school governing authority and learning pod;

c. required contact information for local law enforcement for the learning pod location;

7. provision of special educational and related services to exceptional students in accordance with the IEP for the entirety of the school year;

8. an incident report policy for the learning pod;

9. if applicable, evidence of insurance coverage of learning pod location.

C. Attendance at a learning pod shall be checked and recorded in accordance with LAC 28:CXV.1103.

D. The facility in which a learning pod is located must meet the definition of a school as defined in R.S. 17:236 and must be structurally sound, lack known or potentially dangerous material that may be present in construction material, and should have sufficient available space to meet the needs of the students.

E. "Virtual instruction" does not constitute a "virtual school" as that term is defined by LRS 17:236.3(A).

F. Additional school policies may be adopted to address specific operation of the learning pod distinct from the general requirements applicable to all students enrolled in the school.

La. Admin. Code tit. 28, § CXV-3605

Promulgated by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, LR 49648 (4/1/2023).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 17:6.1; R.S. 17:24.5; R.S. 17:232.B.(1); R.S. 17:236; and R.S. 17:4036.1