ENROLLED
Page 1 of 4
Regular Session, 2012
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 9
BY REPRESENTATIVES CARTER, BARROW, WESLEY BI SHOP, BROADWATER,
CARMODY, CHAMPAGNE, HENRY, HOLLIS, JEFFERSON, NANCY
LANDRY, PRICE, SHADOIN, SMITH, AND ALFRED WILLIAMS
A RESOLUTION
To urge and request the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, in
collaboration with the Louisiana Serve Commission, to study the feasibility of
establishing a "distinction for community service" endorsement program for students
who have performed an exemplary number of community service hours during their
high school careers and to provide a report to the House Committee on Education by
February 1, 2013.
WHEREAS, the Constitution of Louisiana provides that the goal of the public
educational system is "to provide learning environments and experiences, at all stages of
human development, that are humane, just, and designed to promote excellence in order that
every individual may be afforded an equal opportunity to develop to his full potential"; and
WHEREAS, providing students in high school with civic learning environments in
high school will afford young people the opportunity to fully develop as civically engaged
individuals; and
WHEREAS, civic involvement by young people serves to enhance and make
communities in Louisiana stronger by developing a sense of civic responsibility and a sense
that citizenship motivates them to actively participate in their community; and
WHEREAS, participation in community service opportunities allows young people
to develop strong life skills, including communication, critical thinking, problem-solving,
decisionmaking, self-awareness, self-esteem, cultural awareness, civic mindedness, and a
greater appreciation for their community; and
WHEREAS, one of the values of engaging high school students in community
service is that they will learn to cooperate with one another and work with a diverse group
of people, including their peers and adults, with different backgrounds and experiences; and ENROLLEDHR NO. 9
Page 2 of 4
WHEREAS, students who achieve excellence in high school deserve recognition for
their dedication and work; and
WHEREAS, for the 2010-2011 school year, four thousand eight hundred fifty-three
Louisiana students (2.74% of students) were appropriately honored and recognized for their
academic excellence in the form of an academic endorsement on their high school diplomas;
and
WHEREAS, for the 2010-2011 school year, one thousand eight hundred ninety-eight
Louisiana students (1.07 % of students) earned a career/technical endorsement on their high
school diplomas by completing specified course work and meeting certain requirements; and
WHEREAS, students in Louisiana deserve to be recognized for their endeavors,
including those extraordinary efforts made in community service, and such achievements
could be appropriately recognized through an endorsement on the student's high school
diploma and notation on the student's transcript; and
WHEREAS, by providing official acknowledgment on a high school diploma and
recognition at graduation ceremonies, a "distinction for community service" endorsement
would provide an additional pathway for students to achieve excellence, and an appropriate
acknowledgment of such service on the high school transcript would be beneficial to
students applying to colleges and universities; and
WHEREAS, youth who volunteer in their communities are most likely to do well in
school, graduate, vote, and engage in lifelong civic participation as adults; and
WHEREAS, research has shown that students who engage in service activities
develop greater connections to their communities, as well as a greater sense of personal and
social responsibility, and through these experiences they will acquire confident leadership
skills which help them to better understand the issues facing their communities, including
how they can make a difference through their involvement; and
WHEREAS, opportunities for high school students to perform community service
should be made available and publicized at each high school in each community to assist
students in choosing their services; and
WHEREAS, youth involvement in a community, especially when the youth are given
an active and meaningful voice, creates a strong foundation not only for their future civic
engagement, but also contributes to the strength and future of the state as well; and ENROLLEDHR NO. 9
Page 3 of 4
WHEREAS, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. clearly and eloquently expressed the value
of community service, "Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve".
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby urge and request the State Board of Elementary and
Secondary Education, in collaboration with the Louisiana Serve Commission, to study the
feasibility of establishing and implementing a "distinction for community service"
endorsement program for students who complete an exemplary number of community
service hours during their high school careers.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that such study shall include but not be limited to the
following elements:
(1) A service endorsement program for extraordinary hours of community service
performed by high school students, accrued from the ninth grade through the twelfth grade,
in the form of a diploma endorsement, a notation on the student's high school transcript, and
acknowledgment at high school graduation programs.
(2) The cost of a seal to be affixed to the diploma.
(3) Establishment of an endorsement in three levels:
(a) Gold Level, for documented community service of a minimum of three hundred
hours during the high school career of a student.
(b) Silver Level, for documented community service of a minimum of one hundred
fifty hours during the high school career of a student.
(c) Bronze Level, for documented community service of a minimum of fifty hours
during the high school career of a student.
(4) The method and manner in which community service may be acquired through
school-sponsored and independent, but verifiable, community service activities.
(5) The method and manner in which the hours of community service completed by
students may be tracked.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that should a "distinction for community service"
endorsement program be developed and implemented, participation shall be voluntary and
participation shall be at the discretion of the governing authority for each high school under
the jurisdiction of such authority. ENROLLEDHR NO. 9
Page 4 of 4
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the Legislature
of Louisiana requests the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to submit a
written report of its findings and recommendations to the House Committee on Education
by not later than February 1, 2013.
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.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATI VES