Page 1 of 2
Regular Session, 2010 ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 62
BY SENATORS SMITH AND MOUNT
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To urge and request the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to study and review
the clarity of board regulations and guidelines relative to the education of dyslexic
students and the effectiveness of procedures for monitoring the compliance of public
schools and school districts when implementing such regulations and related state
law.
WHEREAS, dyslexia, a language based learning disorder characterized by problems
with reading, spelling, and writing, is widely recognized as the most common learning
disorder and the leading cause of reading deficits in children, affecting as much as fifteen
to twenty percent of the population; and
WHEREAS, reading is the basic skill that serves as the foundation for the mastery
of all other school subjects, and a lack of proficiency in this essential skill often results in
a gap between a child's true ability and his or her academic performance; and
WHEREAS, approximately seventy-four percent of children who do not receive
appropriate educational intervention for dyslexia before the third grade have been found to
still have poor reading skills by the time they reach the ninth grade; and
WHEREAS, early detection and appropriate intervention are critical to helping
children with dyslexia and related learning disorders attain the developmental and
educational skills necessary for them to remain in a regular education classroom setting and
prevent the need for special education referral and services; and
WHEREAS, current state law requires the State Board of Elementary and Secondary
Education and city, parish, and other local public school boards to ensure that students with
dyslexia and related disorders be properly identified and provided with educational programs
and targeted interventions necessary to address their learning needs; and SCR NO. 62 ENROLLED
Page 2 of 2
WHEREAS, there are concerns that the policies and guidelines promulgated by the
State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, as contained in Bulletin 1903 -
Regulations and Guidelines for Implementation of the Louisiana Law for the Education of
Dyslexic Students, may not clearly convey statutory requirements with respect to the
identification and education of dyslexic students, and that state board policy and regulations
are not being properly interpreted and implemented by local school boards, thereby
preventing students with dyslexia from receiving the services they critically need to succeed
in school and in life.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
urge and request the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to study and review the
clarity of board regulations and guidelines relative to the education of dyslexic students and
the effectiveness of procedures for monitoring the compliance of public schools and school
districts when implementing such regulations and related state law.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the board submit a written report of its findings
and recommendations to the Senate Committee on Education and the House Committee on
Education not later than February 15, 2011.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
president of the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the state
superintendent of education.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES