Lawmakers start heading back to school this week

Louisiana lawmakers are heading into classrooms starting this week, as part of the national Legislators Back to School Program.

Started in 1999, the program encourages lawmakers to spend a day visiting classrooms to tell students what it's like to be an elected official. The program is an initiative of the National Conference of State Legislators.

The Times-Picayune reports that lawmakers will begin stopping by classrooms this week and continue to participate in the program throughout the year.

Louisiana typically ranks in the top 10 states in the country for lawmaker participation in the program, though it's not clear how many legislators will be involved this time.

Senate spokeswoman Brenda Hodges said that in past years some lawmakers have spent several days visiting different schools within their districts.