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Committee advances 'Learn and Earn' bill to allow supervised, paid high-school practicums
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Summary
SB376 establishes a statutory framework for credit-bearing, supervised practicums that let employers provide paid internships on high-school campuses; sponsors said the measure responds to attorney-general opinions and includes safeguards for student safety and background checks.
Senator Mizell presented SB376, a bill designed to create a narrow statutory framework allowing school districts to host employer-run, credit-bearing practicums on high school campuses. The sponsor said the bill is the result of work with the governor’s office, attorney general offices, workforce agencies and local school leaders to fix statutory gaps identified in two attorney-general opinions.
Trey Godfrey, senior vice president for talent development and policy at the Greater Baton Rouge Economic Partnership, told the committee the bill solves legal ambiguity that prevented scaling successful pilot programs and creates a pathway for students to have paid, supervised work experiences tied to BESE Pathways. He emphasized the bill is optional for districts and requires employers to be the employer of record for wages and workers’ compensation.
Ben Nikas, superintendent of Zachary Community School System, described an on-campus banking partnership that has produced academic credit and workplace-ready experiences. BESE member Ronnie Morris said the bill provides consistent guardrails across districts and highlighted reduced truancy and improved engagement in pilot programs.
The committee adopted clarifying amendments (including background-check and BESE recognition language) and moved SB376 forward as amended.
