Provides for students at École Pointe-au-Chien (RE INCREASE GF EX See Note)

House Bill 350 amends Louisiana Revised Statutes section 17:1977.1 to expand the grade levels served at École Pointe-au-Chien from prekindergarten through grade four to prekindergarten through grade eight. The bill makes a single modification to the existing statutory provision that established this independent public French immersion school in Terrebonne Parish, striking the reference to grade four as the highest grade level and replacing it with grade eight. The school remains an independent public school outside the control of the state superintendent of education and local and state education boards, operating instead under its own board of directors.

Students who currently attend École Pointe-au-Chien in grades prekindergarten through four will continue their enrollment at the school, and the expansion allows students in grades five through eight to enroll in the French immersion program that was previously unavailable to them within this school. Parents seeking French immersion education for their children in grades five through eight in Terrebonne Parish will now have access to this option at the school. The Terrebonne Parish school system and the school's board of directors will need to manage the operational aspects of serving four additional grade levels, including curriculum development, staffing, facilities planning, and resource allocation.

École Pointe-au-Chien was created by statute as an independent public school with a unique governance structure separate from both state and local education board authority. This bill operates within the framework of Louisiana's education statutes and maintains the school's independent status while expanding its scope. The amendment reflects Louisiana's statutory authorization for creating independent public schools and specialized educational programs at the local level, consistent with the state's broader education governance structure that allows for variations in school organization and management outside the traditional superintendent and school board hierarchy.