LAPLACE — The public is invited to offer its input into the future of K-12 public education in St. John and St. James parishes during a forum in LaPlace.

The forum is part of a series hosted statewide by the Louisiana Association of Educators and the National Education Association regarding revamped federal K-12 public education policies.

The forum takes place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the LaPlace Elementary School cafeteria, 393 Greenwood Drive in LaPlace.

The new Every Student Succeeds Act requires state education policy-makers engage school stakeholders in the decisions surrounding the law’s enactment.

Louisiana Association of Educators President Debbie Meaux believes it’s going to take ongoing discussions and community collaboration to infuse a voice into the state’s implementation process.

“The authentic feedback of rank and file community members, parents and teachers is crucial to ESSA’s success in Louisiana,” Meaux said. “Through working together, we are sure to experience positive educational outcomes for the children who live in our communities.”

Meaux said the focus of the meetings skew heavily toward collaborative discussion with the intent of establishing a community support plan.

“We have a chance to get it right for our schools and our children, and we need to do everything we can to ensure that we are successful,” Meaux said. “Our state’s future lies within our classrooms; we need to make sure Louisiana’s public schools operate under guidelines which consider all economic backgrounds and give every child access to a quality education.”

Anyone interested in attending can RSVP at lae.org/communityconversation.