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SB82 • 2026

SCHOOLS: Provides for a five-day school week for public schools with exceptions. (gov sig)

SCHOOLS: Provides for a five-day school week for public schools with exceptions. (gov sig)

Education Labor
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Beth Mizell
Last action
2026-05-26
Official status
Subject to call - House final passage
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill's final status and effectiveness date are pending executive action, such as the governor's signature or veto.

Five-Day School Week for Public Schools

This bill requires public schools to follow a five-day school week, with exceptions for high-performing districts or those already using a four-day schedule.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires all public schools in Louisiana to have a five-day school week, except on acknowledged legal holidays.
  • Allows school districts that received an A performance score from the state Department of Education to continue their current schedule.
  • Permits city, parish, or other local school systems participating in a four-day school week by December 31, 2025, to keep this schedule.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Public schools and districts in Louisiana
  • Students attending public schools

Terms To Know

Performance score
A rating given by the state Department of Education to measure how well a school district is performing.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if a high-performing district later drops to another performance level.
  • It is unclear how this change will affect students' schedules and learning outcomes.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Filed

Plain English: HFASB82 4877 5178 FOR OFFICE USE ONLY HOUSE FLOOR AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Representative Turner to Engrossed Senate Bill No.

  • HFASB82 4877 5178 FOR OFFICE USE ONLY HOUSE FLOOR AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Representative Turner to Engrossed Senate Bill No.
  • 82 by Senator Mizell 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 In House Floor Amendment #3 by Representative Adams (#4683), on page 1, after line 9, 3 add the following: 4 "(c) The parishes of Lincoln, Union, Ascension, and Bienville." Page 1 of 1 CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions.
Filed

Plain English: The amendment adds an exception to allow schools in the parish of St. Martin to have a different school week schedule than what is proposed by SB82.

  • Adds an exception for the parish of St. Martin, allowing it to operate under a different school week schedule from other public schools.
  • The amendment does not specify what the alternative schedule would be or how it differs from the five-day school week proposed in SB82.
Adopted

Plain English: The amendment adds an exception to allow schools in Pointe Coupee Parish to have a different school week schedule than the five-day standard.

  • Adds a new section (d) on page 1, line 9 of House Floor Amendment #3 by Representative Adams, specifying that Pointe Coupee Parish is exempt from the general rule set forth in Senate Bill No. 82.
  • The amendment does not provide details about what specific school week schedule Pointe Coupee Parish will follow instead of the five-day standard.
Filed

Plain English: The amendment adds a new section to the bill that allows charter schools to be exempt from certain state laws regarding the length of the school day, week, and year.

  • Adds a new section allowing charter schools to be exempt from statutory mandates or other requirements related to the length of the school day, week, and year.
  • Inserts language that specifies charter schools can operate outside of certain state laws regarding school schedules except for those applicable to public schools with similar grade levels.
  • The amendment text does not specify which exact statutory mandates or requirements are exempted beyond the general reference to R.S. 17:154.1.
  • It is unclear how this exemption will affect charter school operations in practice without more detailed information.
Adopted

Plain English: The amendment adds a new section that allows certain local school systems to continue with a four-day school week if they adopted such a calendar before February 20, 2026.

  • Adds a new clause (c) on page 1 after line 17, allowing city, parish, or other local school systems that had already decided on a four-day school week for the 2026-2027 academic year by February 20, 2026, to continue with this schedule.
  • The amendment text does not specify what happens if these local school systems do not meet the deadline of February 20, 2026.
  • It is unclear how this new clause interacts with other parts of the bill or existing laws regarding school calendars.
Filed

Plain English: The amendment proposes to change the number of days in a school week for public schools.

  • Modifies the bill to specify that public schools will operate on a five-day school week with certain exceptions.
  • The official text does not provide details about the specific exceptions or how they would be implemented.
Filed

Plain English: HFASB82 4747 5179 FOR OFFICE USE ONLY HOUSE FLOOR AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Representative McMakin to Engrossed Senate Bill No.

  • HFASB82 4747 5179 FOR OFFICE USE ONLY HOUSE FLOOR AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Representative McMakin to Engrossed Senate Bill No.
  • 82 by Senator Mizell 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 1, line 12, change "either one" to "any" 3 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 2 4 In House Floor Amendment No.
Filed

Plain English: HFASB82 4877 5180 FOR OFFICE USE ONLY HOUSE FLOOR AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Representative LaCombe to Engrossed Senate Bill No.

  • HFASB82 4877 5180 FOR OFFICE USE ONLY HOUSE FLOOR AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Representative LaCombe to Engrossed Senate Bill No.
  • 82 by Senator Mizell 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 In House Floor Amendment #3 by Representative Adams "#4683", on page 1, after line 9, 3 insert the following: 4 "(d) The parish of Iberville." Page 1 of 1 CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions.
Filed

Plain English: The amendment adds new requirements for local school systems that switch to a four-day school week after June 1, 2026.

  • Local school boards must create a plan for the fifth day of schooling if they start using a four-day schedule on or after June 1, 2026. This plan should include ways to help students catch up and activities that keep them learning, as well as how to provide food for students.
  • The amendment only applies to school systems starting a four-day week schedule on or after June 1, 2026. It does not affect existing four-day schedules before this date.
Adopted

Plain English: The amendment adds an exception for the parish of St. Landry to participate in a five-day school week program.

  • Adds the parish of St. Landry as an entity that can participate in the five-day school week program.
  • The specific details about how this exception will be implemented are not provided in the amendment text.
Adopted

Plain English: The amendment adds a provision to allow East Baton Rouge Parish and West Baton Rouge Parish exceptions to the five-day school week rule.

  • Adds an exception for East Baton Rouge Parish and West Baton Rouge Parish to have different rules from other public schools regarding the five-day school week.
  • The amendment does not specify what specific differences these parishes will have, so more details are needed to understand the full impact of this change.
Adopted

Plain English: The amendment adds an exception to allow the Caddo Parish Public School System to have a different school week schedule than what is proposed by SB82.

  • Adds a new clause (c) in House Floor Amendment #3, allowing the Caddo Parish Public School system to operate under a different school week schedule if needed.
  • The amendment does not specify what the alternative schedule for Caddo Parish Public Schools would be or how it differs from other public schools.
  • It is unclear whether this exception applies only to the current session of SB82 or will remain in effect if the bill becomes law.
Filed

Plain English: The amendment changes a phrase in the bill and adds an exception for the parish of Bossier.

  • Changes 'either one' to 'any' on page 1, line 12 of the bill.
  • Adds a new section (d) after line 9 on page 1 of House Floor Amendment No. 3 by Representative Adams, specifying that the parish of Bossier is included.
  • The amendment text does not provide context for what 'either one' or 'any' refer to, making it unclear exactly which part of the bill this change affects.
  • It's not clear how adding an exception for the parish of Bossier will impact the overall implementation of a five-day school week.
Adopted

Plain English: The amendment adds an exception to the bill, allowing certain schools in specific parishes to have a different school week schedule.

  • Adds an exception for public schools in St. Martin and Iberia parishes.
  • The exact nature of the different school week schedule for these parishes is not specified in the amendment text.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-26 H

    Read by title, returned to the calendar.

  2. 2026-05-26 H

    Called from the calendar.

  3. 2026-05-20 H

    Scheduled for floor debate on 05/26/2026.

  4. 2026-05-20 H

    Notice given.

  5. 2026-05-06 H

    Read by title, amended, returned to the calendar.

  6. 2026-05-05 H

    Scheduled for floor debate on 05/06/2026.

  7. 2026-04-28 H

    Read by title, passed to 3rd reading.

  8. 2026-04-27 H

    Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments.

  9. 2026-04-23 H

    Reported favorably (10-3). Referred to the Legislative Bureau.

  10. 2026-04-01 H

    Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Education.

  11. 2026-03-31 H

    Received in the House from the Senate, read by title, lies over under the rules.

  12. 2026-03-31 S

    Read by title, passed by a vote of 35 yeas and 1 nays, and sent to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

  13. 2026-03-30 S

    Read by title. Ordered engrossed and passed to third reading and final passage.

  14. 2026-03-25 S

    Reported favorably.

  15. 2026-03-09 S

    Introduced in the Senate; read by title. Rules suspended. Read second time and referred to the Committee on Education.

  16. 2026-02-20 S

    Prefiled and under the rules provisionally referred to the Committee on Education.

Official Summary Text

SCHOOLS: Provides for a five-day school week for public schools with exceptions. (gov sig)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SLS 26RS-369 ENGROSSED
2026 Regular Session
SENATE BILL NO. 82
BY SENATORS MIZELL AND HODGES
SCHOOLS. Provides for a five-day school week for public schools with exceptions. (gov
sig)
1 AN ACT
2 To enact R.S. 17:154.1(D), relative to the length of a school week; to provide for a five-day
3 mandatory school week for public schools; to provide for exceptions; to provide for
4 an effective date; and to provide for related matters.
5 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
6 Section 1. R.S. 17:154.1(D) is hereby enacted to read as follows:
7 §154.1. Length of school day, week, and year; requirements
8 * * *
9 D.(1) The minimum school week shall consist of five consecutive days
10 within a week, except for acknowledged legal holidays.
11 (2) The requirements of Paragraph (1) of this Subsection shall not apply
12 to either one of the following:
13 (a) Any school district that receives a performance score of A from the
14 state Department of Education.
15 (b) Any city, parish, or other local school system that participates in a
16 four day school week on or before December 31, 2025, may continue with the
17 four day school week.
Page 1 of 2
Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.
SB NO. 82
SLS 26RS-369 ENGROSSED
1 Section 2. This Act shall become effective upon signature by the governor or, if not
2 signed by the governor, upon expiration of the time for bill to become law without signature
3 by the governor, as provided by Article III, Section 18 of the Constitution of Louisiana. If
4 vetoed by the governor and subsequently approved by the legislature, this Act shall become
5 effective on the day following such approval.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Senate Legislative Services.
The keyword, summary, and digest do not constitute part of the law or proof
or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
DIGEST
SB 82 Engrossed 2026 Regular Session Mizell
Present law requires that the minimum school day for grades one through 12 in every public
school in the state consist of 360 minutes of instructional time, exclusive of all recesses.
Present law further requires that the minimum school year consist of 177 days of instruction.
Proposed law retains present law and adds the requirement that the minimum school week
for grades one through 12 in every public school in the state consist of five consecutive days
within a week, except for acknowledged legal holidays.
Proposed law provides exceptions to the five-day school day requirement in either one of the
following circumstances:
(1) Any school district that receives a performance score of A from the state Dept. of
Education.
(2) Any city, parish, or other local school system that participates in a four day school
week on or before December 31, 2025, may continue with the four day school week.
Effective upon signature of the governor or lapse of time for gubernatorial action.
(Adds R.S. 17:154.1(D))
Page 2 of 2
Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.