§176. Extracurricular activities; interscholastic athletics; participation; standards; prohibitions; filming or videotaping; definitions

A. At such times as he may deem appropriate, the superintendent of each city, parish, and other local public school system, together with the principals of middle, junior high, and high schools in the school system, shall review all cocurricular and extracurricular activities and programs, including interscholastic athletics, in such schools and shall determine:

(1) If such programs are adequately meeting the educational, emotional, and social needs of the student participants.

(2) If the educational program standards of the schools are diminished by reason of the participation of students in extracurricular activities.

B. The superintendent of each city, parish, and other local public school system shall cause the principal and faculty of each middle, junior high, and high school to take all actions necessary or appropriate to upgrade the academic standards of student athletes such that each such athlete, to the extent possible, accomplishes his maximum potential in academic endeavors while participating in interscholastic athletics.

C. The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education shall adopt a policy which at a minimum shall require that the scholastic rule adopted by the Louisiana High School Athletic Association in January of 2010 be adhered to by all high schools under its jurisdiction. The association's scholastic regulations, which include a "C" average as determined by the local governing authority of the school in which the student is enrolled, shall serve as the minimum standard upon which each school builds higher academic standards.

D. No person shall be denied the right to film, videotape, or otherwise record any extracurricular activity or event, including athletic contests or events provided the filming, videotaping, or recording involves no significant disruption or distraction to the participants in the extracurricular activity or event or to other observers of the extracurricular activity or event.

E. Notwithstanding any policy, rule, or regulation adopted by the governing authority of any public elementary or secondary school to the contrary, no student otherwise eligible to participate in an extracurricular activity, including interscholastic athletics, shall be limited in the number of such activities in which the student may participate during a school year.

F.(1) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, no public school or nonpublic school that receives public funds may be a member of, or participate in any competition sponsored by, any intrastate interscholastic extracurricular athletic association or organization that does not provide for third-party arbitration of eligibility issues.

(2) For the purposes of this Section, the term "third-party arbitration" means a process that provides all of the following elements:

(a) The rules and procedures established by the association or organization shall generally comply with the spirit of the rules and procedures of the American Arbitration Association.

(b) Arbitrators shall be approved by the American Arbitration Association and the parties.

(c) Arbitration shall be implemented only after all internal remedies have been exhausted.

(d) Each party shall bear the cost of its own representation and any other costs related to its presentation, if any.

(e) Except as provided in Subparagraph (d) of this Paragraph, the losing party shall bear the costs of the arbitration proceeding.

(f) The resulting arbitration decision shall be final and non-appealable.

G, H, and I. Repealed by Acts 2013, No. 294, §2.

Acts 1984, No. 936, §1, eff. July 20, 1984; Acts 1995, No. 950, §1, eff. June 29, 1995; Acts 1997, No. 465, §1, eff. June 23, 1997; Acts 1997, No. 495, §1; Acts 2010, No. 691, §1, eff. June 29, 1010; Acts 2011, No. 60, §1, eff. June 20, 2011; Acts 2012, No. 587, §1, eff. June 7, 2012; Acts 2012, No. 665, §1, eff. June 7, 2012; Acts 2013, No. 294, §§1,2; Acts 2014, No. 476, §1, eff. June 4, 2014; Acts 2015, No. 297, §1.