2013 Louisiana Laws
Revised Statutes
TITLE 17 - Education
RS 17:415.1 - Materials; adoption procedures; definition

§415.1. Materials; adoption procedures; definition

A. Any interested citizen may request that his name be included on the mailing list for textbook adoption information by writing to the Director of the Bureau of Materials of Instruction and Textbooks, State Department of Education, Capitol Station, Baton Rouge, La. Any person who has made this request shall be timely notified of the name and address of each member of all textbook adoption committees and the Textbook and Media Advisory Council, the times, places, and agenda of all committee and council meetings, and the titles, authors, and publishers of all textbooks proposed for adoption.

B.(1) All textbook adoption committees appointed by the superintendent of elementary and secondary education shall contain a membership not less than one-third of which are teachers, not less than one-third of which are parents who are not public educators, and the remainder of which are other persons. All meetings of textbook adoption committees and the Textbook and Media Advisory Council shall be open to the public. Any member of the public may attend and file written or make oral objections to any textbook under consideration. The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education shall adopt a form whereby any member of the public may file written objections to any textbook being considered for adoption.

(2) For purposes of this Subsection, the term "teacher" shall mean any person employed by a city or parish school board who, as a condition of employment, is required to hold a valid teaching certificate issued by the state Department of Education.

C. The state Department of Education shall ensure that all textbooks being considered for state adoption are placed, prior to state adoption and for a period of at least ninety days, in two cooperating public library branches in Baton Rouge, in three cooperating public library branches in New Orleans to be determined by the New Orleans Public Library system, and in a cooperating public library in Shreveport, Monroe, Alexandria, Lake Charles, Lafayette, Houma, Covington, Hammond, Metairie, Marrero, Bossier City, Natchitoches, Ruston, DeRidder, New Iberia, Opelousas, Bogalusa, and any other city designated by the superintendent of elementary and secondary education. Any interested person may inspect and review the books during the period when they are on display. Four samples of each such textbook shall be made available for such inspection and review at each such library. Three such samples shall be made available to be checked out from each such library by any interested person according to rules and regulations that the state Department of Education shall establish for such purpose. The locations and dates of availability of such textbooks shall be posted by the state Department of Education on its web site in the form of a press release which shall remain posted online for the duration of the review period.

D. The state Department of Education shall make every effort to ensure that an electronic version of any textbook or instructional material under consideration for adoption is made available to members of textbook adoption committees prior to adoption.

Added by Acts 1981, No. 872, §1; Acts 1985, No. 649, §1; Acts 1997, No. 1024, §1; Acts 1999, No. 190, §1; Acts 2006, No. 804, §1; Acts 2010, No. 659, §1.