Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 3, March 20, 2024
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.
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
