§38.2. Prohibition against academic penalties against student members of the uniformed services

            A.(1) No student member of the uniformed services shall have his postsecondary education, including but not limited to colleges and universities, unnecessarily disrupted because of his military service, in accordance with the Board of Regents' policy governing reservist or National Guard mobilization or activation of students at public postsecondary education institutions. No student member of the uniformed services shall have his postsecondary education, including but not limited to postsecondary proprietary schools, vocational, technical, or trade schools, or nonpublic colleges and universities licensed to do business within the state of Louisiana as provided by law, unnecessarily disrupted because of his service in the uniformed services.

            (2)(a) Policies shall be developed jointly by the Board of Regents and the management boards of public postsecondary education to address academic matters of members of the uniformed services resulting from mobilization or activation to ensure that the pursuit of education is disrupted to the minimum extent possible and that no undue penalties are assessed due to a military call to service. The policies shall address the awarding of academic credits, grades, time frames for resumption of academic work, academic status upon reenrollment, scholarships, student grants and loans, student fees, assessments and tuition, and related matters relative to the disruption of academic pursuits due to the mobilization or activation of student members of the uniformed services of the United States.

            (b) Proprietary schools and nonpublic colleges and universities licensed to do business in the state of Louisiana by the Board of Regents shall also adopt policies consistent to the maximum extent possible with the policies set forth in Subsection A of this Section.

            B. The enforcement of this Section shall be reserved for the proper authority and the appropriate jurisdiction of the Board of Regents and the management boards of public postsecondary education or the successor of such boards, and the boards of trustees of the private colleges and universities in this state which award a baccalaureate or higher degree and which maintain and operate educational programs for which credits are given.

            C. As used in this Section, "uniformed services" shall have the same meaning as defined in R.S. 29:403.

            Added by Acts 1988, No. 187, §1, eff. July 1, 1988; Acts 1991, No. 113, §1, eff. June 30, 1991; Acts 2001, 2nd Ex. Sess., No. 9, §1, eff. Oct. 16, 2001; Acts 2025, No. 242, §1.