A bill to make kindergarten mandatory beginning at age five passed in the House on a 59-31 vote. New Orleans Representative Jason Hughes presented the bill for Baton Rouge Senator Cleo Fields and said he’s tired of Louisiana consistently being ranked towards the bottom of the list in education.
“Members we have an extraordinary opportunity to move the needle on education and let’s simply do right by our kids,” said Hughes.
The bill faced opposition from Houma Representative Beryl Amedee, she believes the mandatory age to begin school should remain at seven and kindergarten a choice.
“And it reduces the compulsory attendance age to the age of five whether the parent believes the child is ready or not. So, I see this as an infringement upon parental rights,” said Amedee.
Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Texas have mandatory kindergarten laws and Hughes said it is time to make an investment for a better future for children in Louisiana.
“The bottom-line members, we can argue theory, but we cannot argue the facts. Investing in early childhood education just makes good business sense,” said Hughes.
The original bill required children who turn five by September 30th to attend but was amended to March 31st for the school calendar year. The amended bill now returns to the Senate where it passed in the upper chamber on a 34-1 vote. If passed would go into effect for the 2022-23 school year.
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