Page 1 of 2
Regular Session, 2014 ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 134
BY SENATOR BROOME
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To urge and request the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to examine and
consider the status of school suspensions and expulsions, as well as plans to revise
current school discipline policies in response to the "Supportive School Discipline
Initiative" launched by the United States departments of education and justice.
WHEREAS, the stated vision of the Louisiana Department of Education is "to ensure
all students are on track to attain a college degree or succeed in a professional career"; and
WHEREAS, the state's goal of preparing every student for college and careers cannot
be attained without providing a safe and secure learning environment that is conducive to
effective teaching and learning; and
WHEREAS, heavy reliance on suspensions and expulsions to create a positive school
climate is clearly not the answer, as it fails to help a student develop the skills and strategies
needed to improve behavior and has a tremendous academic cost in lost learning time; and
WHEREAS, exclusionary school discipline practices are statistically proven to
disproportionately impact students of color and students with disabilities; and
WHEREAS, suspended students are less likely to graduate on time, are more likely
to be suspended again, repeat a grade, or drop out of school and enter the juvenile justice
system; and
WHEREAS, removing a student from the classroom should be a last resort in
addressing unacceptable behavior and the optimal way to intervene and improve academic
and societal outcomes for these students is to identify and target the underlying causes of
misbehavior; and
WHEREAS, to assist schools, school districts, and states in addressing this serious
issue, the United States departments of education and justice collaboratively launched the
"Supportive School Discipline Initiative" to support the use of school discipline practices SCR NO. 134 ENROLLED
Page 2 of 2
that foster safe, supportive, and productive learning environments, while keeping students
in school; and
WHEREAS, the role of the Initiative has been to provide schools with effective
alternatives to suspensions and expulsions as a primary means of disciplining students, with
a focus on reducing the disproportionality for students of color and students with disabilities;
and
WHEREAS, in January, 2014, the U.S. Department of Education released guidance
to state, district, and school-level officials outlining principles and strategies for improving
school climate and school discipline practices.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
urge and request the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to examine and
consider the status of school suspensions and expulsions, as well as plans to revise current
school discipline policies in response to the "Supportive School Discipline Initiative"
launched by the United States departments of education and justice.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the board submit a written report to the Senate
Committee on Education, the House Committee on Education, and the Senate Select
Committee on Women and Children, not later than March 1, 2015.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES