The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board considered several proposed revisions to the district's charter-school policy Oct. 16, including changes to renewal timelines and material-amendment rules. The items were placed on the consent agenda and approved as part of the board's routine action.

Public commenters urged the board to reject or rewrite parts of the proposed policy updates, saying the draft would give operators too much leeway and risk further segregation and instability. Jennifer Landry, Natalie Abare, Maya Williams and Mildred Dunham Drummond were among commenters who said the proposals would weaken oversight, allow long renewal terms without sufficient accountability, and permit some operators to expand without demonstrated community demand.

"Proposed policy giving charters more time without real supervision is dangerous," Jennifer Landry said during the online public comment period. Other commenters urged the board to require operators to give extended notice of campus closures, to forbid charter officials from serving on both an operator's board and its payroll, and to require operators to return unused funds promptly after a closure.

Board members acknowledged the public concerns and said the draft includes measures to strengthen oversight where state law allows. Vice President Godet noted the policy was updated to require a corrective plan from any charter campus that fails to meet academic or demographic expectations individually, and that such plans could include lottery preference or other remedies. Paula Lewis confirmed the board voted to adopt a seven-year renewal option rather than the longer 10-year term that had also been proposed.

Board members also said some changes reflect state legal requirements and that the district's ability to diverge from state law is limited. Godet and others urged that the board continue refining the policy language and hold further outreach to explain what is required by state law versus local policy.

The charter-related items were approved on the consent agenda; several members and public commenters said they expect the board to return with additional clarifications and procedural rules to address the specific concerns raised about special education, transportation, closures and equitable enrollment practices.