State Farm / CC
BESE has removed the requirement for high school seniors to complete FAFSA in order to graduate. The new policy goes into effect next school year. The board believes requiring a student to apply for federal aid for college is an unnecessary burden on parents. And BESE President Ronnie Morris says some families do not want to give out their tax and income information.
“There are folks that don’t qualify for this but yet they’re required to provide all they’re personal financial information for something they don’t even qualify for. So again there’s a line here in making it a mandate for everybody.”
Students are required to complete the FAFSA to determine college financial aid. But Morris says some students can sign a waiver approved by the state to receive a diploma. He says points out the form is simply not necessary to graduate.
“There are a lot of good things the American life offers but we don’t put requirements on people to fill out forms for every opportunity. So you have to draw the line somewhere.”
Louisiana claims top ranking for the highest number of high school seniors who’ve completed FAFSA. And Morris says schools will continue to assist student and families in applying for federal grants and scholarships.
“We want to do everything we can to support our students, to prepare our students for a career in college after graduation and then support them along the way. But we just didn’t feel this should be a requirement for graduation.”
Comments