Title 17. Education

Chapter 1. General School Law

Part III. Public Schools and School Children

Subpart C-1. The Education/Juvenile Justice Partnership Act

17:252     School master plans for supporting student behavior and discipline

A. (1) The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, in collaboration with the Louisiana Juvenile Justice Planning and Coordination Board, shall formulate, develop, and recommend to the Juvenile Justice Reform Act Implementation Commission by March 1, 2004, a model master plan for improving behavior and discipline within schools. 

(2) The model master plan may include but need not be limited to guidelines for accomplishing the following: 

(a) Improving communication, coordination, and collaboration between the schools and juvenile justice agencies. 

(b) Improving safe school planning. 

(c) Revising school zero tolerance policies to ensure compliance with all applicable provisions of law to ensure that schools do not make inappropriate referrals to juvenile justice agencies. 

(d) Providing improved mental health services in or through the schools. 

(e) Providing better assistance to parents in knowing about and accessing family strengthening programs. 

(f) Improving the coordination of special education and juvenile justice services. 

(g) Improving classroom management using positive behavioral supports and other effective disciplinary tools. 

(h) Improving methods and procedures for the handling of school suspensions, the referral of students to alternative schools, and the use of seclusion and physical restraint in addressing challenging student behavior. 

(i) Providing for better and more useful reporting on an annual basis of school behavioral and disciplinary problems. 

B. Each city, parish, and other local public school board shall cause to be developed and shall submit by October 1, 2004, a master plan for each school under the board’s jurisdiction for improving behavior and discipline in each such school based on the model master plan developed and approved by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. 

C. The model master plan for improving behavior and discipline within the schools and the school master plans required of city, parish, and other local public school boards by this Section shall not prohibit a teacher from removing a pupil from the classroom for disciplinary reasons in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 17:416. 

D. (1) The school master plans required of city, parish, and other local public school boards by this Section shall make provision for pre-service and ongoing grade appropriate classroom management training for teachers, principals, and other appropriate school personnel regarding positive behavioral supports and reinforcement, conflict resolution, mediation, cultural competence, restorative practices, guidance and discipline, and adolescent development. 

(2) City, parish, and other local public school boards shall provide ongoing classroom management courses and regularly review discipline data from each school to determine what additional classroom management training is needed, if any, and what additional classroom support activities should be provided by the principal and school administration. 

Added by Acts 2003, No. 1225, § 3. Amended by Acts 2009, No. 240, § 1; Acts 2010, No. 136, § 1, eff. June 8, 2010; Acts 2016, No. 522, § 1, eff. June 13, 2016.