Public elementary and high schools must provide French instruction and related French culture/history courses, with some school-board exclusions and student exemption requests allowed.
§272. French language and culture; teaching in public schools A. The French language and the culture and history of French populations in Louisiana and elsewhere in the Americas shall be taught for a sequence of years in the public elementary and high school systems of the state, in accordance with the following general provisions: (1) As expeditiously as possible but not later than the beginning of the 1972-1973 school year, all public elementary schools shall offer at least five years of French instruction starting with oral French in the first grade; except that any parish or city school board, upon request to the State Board of Education, shall be excluded from this requirement, and such request shall not be denied. Requests already received from school boards for exclusion from the provisions of Act 408 of 19681 shall also be valid for exclusion from the provisions of this Act2 unless individual school boards deem otherwise. School boards which have not already requested exclusion may do so at any time between July 1, 1971, and the beginning of the 1972-1973 school year. The fact that any board is excluded, as here provided, from participation in the program established by this section shall in no case be construed to prohibit such school board from offering and conducting French courses in the curriculum of the schools it administers. In any school where the program provided for herein has been adopted the parent or other person legally responsible for a child may make written request to the parish school board requesting that said child be exempted from this program. (2) As expeditiously as possible but not later than the beginning of the 1972-1973 school year, all public high schools shall offer a program of at least three years of instruction in the French language and at least one course included in the culture and history of the French populations of Louisiana and other French speaking areas in the Americas; except that any parish or city school board may request the State Board of Education to be excluded from this requirement and such request shall not be denied. Requests already received from school boards for exclusion from the provisions of Act 408 of 1968 shall also be valid for exclusion from the provisions of this Act unless individual school boards deem otherwise. School boards which have not already requested exclusion may do so at any time between July 1, 1971, and the beginning of the 1972-1973 school year. B. Repealed by Acts 1971, No. 13, §3. C. The State Board of Education, the state superintendent of education, and all other public educational officials and administrators are properly charged with the implementation of this section. D. The State Board of Education, the state superintendent of education, and the parish School Boards participating in the program set forth in this section shall include in their budget provision for the implementation of this program; and may avail themselves of any funds which may be provided by the federal government or other sources in accordance with the existing law and regulations of this state. Added by Acts 1968, No. 408, §§1 to 4. Amended by Acts 1968, Ex.Sess., No. 21, §1. 1All of the original provisions of R.S. 17:272 were enacted by Acts 1968, No. 408. 2Acts 1968, Ex.Sess., No. 21, amending R.S. 17:272(A).