A. For the purposes of this Section, a “program of choice” shall mean a public high school program that allows a student to concurrently pursue a high school diploma and one of the following:

            (1) A postsecondary degree, credential, or certificate.

            (2) A state-registered apprenticeship or pre-apprenticeship.

            B. A student may enroll in a program of choice offered within his school system, without regard to attendance zones, provided that both of the following apply:

            (1) The program of choice and the high school offering the program have available capacity at the appropriate grade level.

            (2) The program of choice is not offered at the public high school in which the student was most recently enrolled or would otherwise attend.

            C. The governing authority of each public high school shall adopt policies to govern student transfers to each program of choice that include:

            (1) A definition of “capacity” for each high school and each program of choice.

            (2) The transfer request period, which shall begin no later than March first and end no earlier than March twenty-eighth, annually.

            (3) The process for submitting a transfer request.

            (4) Admission requirements, if any, for each program of choice.

            (5) The process for requesting review by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education in accordance with La. Rev. Stat. 17:4035.1(C) of a denial of a request to transfer to a program of choice.

            D. The governing authority of each public high school shall:

            (1) Partner with local businesses and public postsecondary education institutions to grow programs of choice that are relevant to the school’s local area and to the state and that lead to careers in high-demand, high-paying fields.

            (2) Work to ensure that programs of choice are evenly distributed, to the greatest extent possible, among the high schools in the school system.

            E. The authority to enroll a student in a program of choice shall not be permitted and shall not be exercised if doing so violates an order of a court of competent jurisdiction.

            F. The provisions of this Section shall not be construed as requiring a high school or a program of choice with selective admission requirements to enroll a student who does not meet the admission requirements, regardless of whether the school or program of choice has available capacity.

            Acts 2022, No. 533, §1, eff. June 17, 2022.