Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024
A. The board
may award an honorary diploma to qualifying students who left high school
before graduating to serve in the United States Armed Forces during World War
II, the Korean Conflict, or the Vietnam War.
1. Veterans shall meet the following criteria
to be eligible for an honorary diploma.
a.
The veteran left a public school located in Louisiana in order to serve in the
United States Armed Forces during World War II, the Korean Conflict, or the
Vietnam War.
b. The veteran would
have graduated from a public school in Louisiana in the years ranging from 1941
to 1950, 1950 to 1955, or 1964 to 1974.
c. The veteran received an honorable
discharge from the United States Armed Forces or was released from active duty
because of a service related disability.
d. The veteran has not previously been
awarded a Louisiana standard high school diploma, but may have passed a high
school equivalency examination.
2. An honorary diploma may be awarded
posthumously to the family of a deceased veteran.
3. An honorary diploma awarded to an eligible
veteran shall not be considered a standard Louisiana high school diploma for
the purposes of satisfying postsecondary admissions requirements and/or
determining eligibility for postsecondary financial aid, including, but not
limited to, the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS)
scholarship.
4. The rights and
privileges attached to a standard high school diploma, or its equivalent, are
not applicable to any honorary diplomas conferred upon veterans meeting the
requirements outlined above.
B. Beginning with the 2023-2024 school year,
all secondary public schools may posthumously issue honorary diplomas to
deceased students who passed away while enrolled in a current high school
cohort. On behalf of the student, the parent or legal guardian of the deceased
student shall request the posthumous diploma from the Local Education Agency
(LEA) during the school year in which the student cohort is scheduled to
graduate.
1. For purposes of this Section, a
cohort is defined as all students who entered ninth grade for
the first time in the state of Louisiana in a given academic year.
2. The student must have been enrolled and in
good standing with the school at the time of the student's death.
3. The deceased student must not have been
convicted of a felony before the student's death.
AUTHORITY
NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with
R.S.
17:6(A)(10).
