Louisiana School Discipline Laws & Regulations: Social-emotional Learning (SEL)

Louisiana School Discipline Laws & Regulations: Social-emotional Learning (SEL)

Category: Prevention, Behavioral Interventions, and Supports
Subcategory: Social-emotional Learning (SEL)
State: Louisiana

The state or jurisdiction(s) you selected for this subcategory are shown below, followed by the laws and regulations. To add or change states, use the Back button and resubmit your search request.

To view a state profile showing school discipline laws and regulations in all subcategories for a given state, click on the state name.

Louisiana

LAWS

§17:282.2. Character education programs; legislative findings; clearinghouse for information; permissive curriculum; dissemination of information; progress reports; rules and regulations.

A. The legislature finds and acknowledges that while character development is a parental responsibility, the responsibility also extends to others. The legislature further finds that character education must be augmented and reinforced by public schools in order to prepare students to be productive, self-sufficient citizens who can ably assume societal responsibilities.

B. The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education shall provide a clearinghouse for information on nonsectarian practices in character education programs within Louisiana and across the nation in order to assist public elementary and secondary schools in improving character education. Clearinghouse information shall include information about comprehensive character education programs or curricula, which focus on the development of character traits such as honesty, fairness, and respect for self and others.

C. Any city or parish school system may offer a nonsectarian character education curriculum pursuant to the provisions of this Section in kindergarten through grade twelve, which focuses on the development of character traits such as honesty, fairness, respect for self and others, or other character traits as determined by individual school communities.

D. The state superintendent of education shall insure that information on nonsectarian practices, models, and potential funding sources relative to character education programs is disseminated to all city and parish school systems in the state by not later than August 1, 1999, and by not later than August first annually thereafter.

E. Beginning January 1, 1999, the state superintendent shall annually provide a progress report on the implementation of the provisions of this Section and the effectiveness thereof to the House Committee on Education, the Senate Committee on Education, and the governor.

F. The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education shall adopt rules and regulations in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act necessary for the implementation of this Section and any city or parish school system offering a character education curriculum shall do so in accordance with such rules and regulations.

§17:416.17. Youth development and assistance programs; legislative findings and purpose; school authority for programs for elementary students.

A. (1) The legislature finds that early identification and intervention of aggressive, antisocial, or delinquent behaviors are critical components in recognizing and preventing chronic juvenile delinquency in later years.

(2) The legislature further finds that school-based preventive interventions for violent or aggressive behavior in youth are recognized as beneficial to the overall developmental success of students.

(3) The legislature recognizes that the introduction of violence prevention strategies in the early elementary grades may reduce the incidence of delinquent behaviors in the later grades, especially when such programs include parental involvement in the prevention and intervention strategies.

(4) The purpose of this Section is to authorize elementary schools to develop prevention and intervention strategies to address disruptions and violence in schools to create safe school environments in which teachers can teach and students can learn and which increase student and family connectedness to the school.

B. A school may, upon approval of its governing authority, develop and offer youth development and assistance programs that employ violence prevention and intervention initiatives for students in kindergarten and the elementary grades. Such programs shall provide for early identification of and support for students who are at risk before their behavior escalates into aggression or disruption, disciplinary problems, or juvenile delinquency.

C. (1) A youth development and assistance program may consist of age- or grade-appropriate alternative classrooms during school or special intervention or prevention programs before, after, or during the school day.

(2) Such programs may include but shall not be limited to the following components:

(a) Provision of services for students including behavioral training and intervention techniques that promote cooperation and enhance interpersonal and conflict resolution skills, peer mediation, anger management, bullying prevention, life skills training, mentoring, counseling, and tutoring programs that improve academic achievement.

(b)(i) Provision of services which support the parents of students identified with behavioral needs that may need intervention or support. Such parent services may include literacy services or parental training.

(ii) Required participation of any parent of a student so identified in such intervention at the school or other designated facility.

(c) Collaboration with community-based organizations, including but not limited to youth services, civic, social services, mental health, volunteer services, and juvenile justice agencies.

D. The provisions of this Section shall be implemented upon the approval of each city, parish, or other local public school board of any program submitted by a school and the availability of funds to a school for such purpose.

REGULATIONS

LAC 28:CXV.2305. Ancillary Areas of Instruction.

A. Each LEA may develop a character education philosophy and implementation plan consistent with its locally developed curriculum.

LAC 28:CXLIX.501. Safety and Counseling.

A. School systems operating an alternative school or program must address the root cause of the behavioral misconduct while a student is educated at the alternative education school or program site, utilizing evidence based interventions and strategies.

1. An approved alternative education site must:

a. provide clear expectations for learning and student conduct using a multi-tier system of support (MTSS) framework that includes use of any evidence-based behavioral intervention including, but not limited to:

i. positive behavior interventions and supports;

ii. restorative practices; or

iii. trauma-informed response; and

b. detail, through the authorization process and an annual report, the full list of evidence-based interventions used to address student behavior. Each intervention or strategy will be aligned to one of the three tiers within an MTSS.

B. In addition to the required behavioral interventions and supports, alternative sites must prioritize the following:

1. adopt and implement a social-emotional learning curriculum for use that aligns to the selected behavioral intervention and overall behavioral approach selected by the site;

2. maintain a list of identified student growth measures, such as evaluation plans, assessments, and learning outcomes, that measure student behavioral improvement resulting from evidence-based behavioral intervention; and

3. identify annually a set of implementation fidelity measures used to evaluate the efficacy of the selected behavioral intervention and assess interventions needing improvement.