OLAS/app/models/TransformativeAction.php

<?php

class TransformativeAction extends Eloquent
{
    protected $table = 'transformative_actions';

    public function scopeStatus($query, $semester_id)
    {
        return $query->join('transformative_action_status')
            ->where('trans_id', $this->id)
            ->where('semester_id', $semester_id)
            ->first();
    }

    public static function getCategoriesHtml($program_id)
    {
        $categories = "<option value='0'>Nothing Selected</option>";

        $types = DB::table('transformative_actions')
            ->select('type_of_TA', 'is_custom')
            ->where('type_of_TA', '<>', '')
            ->where(function ($query) use (&$program_id) {
                $query->whereNull('program_id')
                    ->orWhere('program_id', $program_id);
            })
            ->where('by_professor', 0)
            ->groupBy('type_of_TA')
            ->get();
        $optGroupGeneral = "<optgroup label='General Transformative Actions'>";
        $optGroupCustom = "<optgroup label ='Program Custom Actions'>";
        foreach ($types as $type) {

            if ($type->is_custom) {
                $optGroupCustom .= "<option value = '" . $type->type_of_TA . "' data-is-custom = '1'>" . $type->type_of_TA . "</option>";
            } else {
                $optGroupGeneral .= "<option value = '" . $type->type_of_TA . "' data-is-custom = '0'>" . $type->type_of_TA . "</option>";
            }
        }
        $categories .= $optGroupGeneral . '</optgroup>';
        $categories .= $optGroupCustom . '</optgroup>';


        $categories .= '<option value ="new"> New Type of Transformative Action</option>';
        return $categories;
    }
}