17:202

TITLE 17. EDUCATION

CHAPTER 1. GENERAL SCHOOL LAW

PART III. PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND SCHOOL CHILDREN

SUBPART B-1. IN-SCHOOL INTERVENTION PILOT PROGRAM

17:202 Pilot program; establishment; selection of participating schools; content; administration; implementation

A. The "In-School Intervention Pilot Program", hereinafter referred to as the "pilot program", is hereby created and established within the Department of Education, bureau of student services.

B. Prior to the beginning of the 1994-1995 school year, the department shall invite each public high school, middle school, and elementary school to submit to the department a proposal for the pilot program.

C. (1) The state superintendent of education shall select no more than nine schools for participation in the pilot program, to include one high school, one middle school, and one elementary school that act as feeder schools each in an urban, a suburban, and a rural area of the state.

(2) Selection of schools shall be based on a high rate of the following conditions:

(a) Crime committed among students and by students.

(b) Truancy among students.

D. (1) The department shall consider and evaluate each proposal and recommend for approval by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, hereinafter referred to in this Subpart as the "board", those deemed eligible pursuant to Subsection C of this Section.

(2) The board may authorize the selection by the department of three additional schools each year for participation in the pilot program and such selection shall be done in accordance with the provisions of Subsection C of this Section, provided that funds are made available for such purpose.

E. The pilot program shall consist of the following:

(1)(a) One school-based resource coordinator for each selected high school site shall generally oversee and supervise the pilot program and shall perform such other duties as provided herein in order to assist the administration of the schools and state agencies in curbing truancy and crime.

(b) The resource coordinator shall be state-certified as a supervisor of child welfare and attendance or visiting teacher and shall not be an existing supervisor of child welfare and attendance or visiting teacher employed by the school but hired in addition to existing staff. The resource coordinator shall not perform curriculum planning and scheduling or other services performed by existing supervisors of child welfare and attendance or visiting teachers but shall solely perform the duties as provided herein.

(c) The board shall promulgate rules and regulations to provide for the additional training, supervision and evaluation of the resource coordinator.

(2)(a) Off-duty police officers or sheriff deputies shall act as truancy officers for up to two hours of each school day, as needed, for the selected schools. The officers shall be paid at an hourly rate by the state, as determined by the board.

(b) The board shall promulgate rules and regulations to provide for the training of truancy officers and for the procedure the schools and the truancy officers shall use in reporting and in detaining truants.

(c) The resource coordinator shall recruit, oversee, and coordinate the truancy officers and their activities consistent with the rules and regulations adopted by the board.

(3) Community volunteers that are recruited, screened, and selected by the resource coordinator shall be paired with those students who are determined by the school to be "at risk", truant, or violent by standards developed by the department. The volunteers shall periodically submit reports on each student to the resource coordinator. The resource coordinator shall also refer "at risk" students to the appropriate services offered by state agencies when needed.

(4) The resource coordinator shall research, compile, and select conflict resolution educational programs for the school. Selected programs shall include but shall not be limited to a "peer mediation" component. The selected school shall appoint a teacher to teach the selected conflict resolution programs to the students at that school as a part of an existing curriculum. At the end of each school year, each appointed teacher shall report to the appropriate resource coordinator on the results of the conflict resolution program. Based on the reported results, the resource coordinator shall determine which conflict resolution program and materials are most effective in preventing violence and truancy. Each resource coordinator shall report these findings to the department in a comprehensive report as provided in this Subpart.

(5) All selected high schools and middle schools shall provide instruction in parenthood education as follows:

(a) Instruction shall be given for at least one semester of each school year in accordance with the course of study and materials prescribed by the board.

(b) "Parenthood education" shall include but shall not be limited to instruction in family living and community relationships, home management, job preparedness, the consequences of the lack of prenatal care, and the responsibilities of parenthood.

(c) Parenthood education courses, as provided for herein, shall be taught by a certified teacher of secondary vocational home economics or a teacher who meets the requirements set forth in R.S. 17:279(C).

(d) At the end of each school year, the home economics teacher shall submit a report to the appropriate resource coordinator on the effectiveness of the parenthood education program. The resource coordinator shall submit these findings to the department in a comprehensive report as provided in this Subpart.

F. The board shall adopt rules and regulations for the administration and implementation of the pilot program as it deems necessary in order to achieve maximum beneficial results from the program.

G. The pilot program shall be implemented in schools selected pursuant to this Section commencing in the 1994-1995 school year.

Added by Acts 1994, 3rd Ex.Sess., No. 35, §1, eff. July 6, 1994. Amended by Acts 1997, No. 831, §1, eff. July 10, 1997.