HLS 17RS-2855 ORIGINAL
2017 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 164
BY REPRESENTATIVE LEGER
STUDENT/DISCIPLINE: Requests that the State Bd. of Elementary and Secondary
Education, through an existing task force, commission, or other study group, conduct
a study on student discipline with regard to students exposed to trauma
1 A RESOLUTION
2To urge and request the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, through an
3 existing task force, commission, or other study group, to study state laws, policies,
4 and practices relative to student discipline with regard to the discipline of students
5 exposed to violence and other forms of trauma and to submit a written report of
6 findings, conclusions, and any recommendations for legislation to the House
7 Committee on Education not later than sixty days prior to the beginning of the 2018
8 Regular Session of the Legislature.
9 WHEREAS, positive and effective discipline is critical if a school is to ensure
10student academic success and provide a safe and orderly environment that is conducive to
11learning; and
12 WHEREAS, it is imperative that students be held accountable for their conduct and
13that student discipline be administered in an age-appropriate, fair, and consistent manner that
14meets students' needs and keeps them in school; and
15 WHEREAS, to be effective, a student discipline policy must fully consider and
16address the needs of students, teachers, and administrators; and
17 WHEREAS, recent neurobiology, epigenetics, and psychology studies have shown
18that traumatic experiences in childhood can diminish concentration, memory, and the
19organizational and language abilities children need to succeed in school; and
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HR NO. 164
1 WHEREAS, for some children, trauma can lead to problems with academic
2performance, inappropriate behavior in the classroom, and difficulty forming relationships;
3and
4 WHEREAS, research shows a correlation between school-age children who have
5been traumatized and those who exhibit undesirable behaviors in school; studies also show
6that nearly every school has children who have been exposed to overwhelming experiences,
7such as witnessing violence between their caretakers and being the direct targets of abuse,
8and who have experienced other kinds of adversity; and
9 WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood
10Experiences Study, one of the largest investigations of the effects of childhood abuse and
11neglect, found higher levels of traumatic experiences in the general population than
12previously imagined; and
13 WHEREAS, traumatized children react differently, struggling to connect with peers
14and adults and wrestling with basic language development and learning; as students get
15older, exposure to traumatic experiences can also lead to the adoption of self-medicating
16behaviors such as substance abuse, smoking, and overeating, all of which can interfere with
17a child's ability to learn at school; and
18 WHEREAS, interpersonal dynamics between traumatized students and their peers
19or teachers can also evoke traumatic memories or traumatic stress, leading to undesirable
20behavior in the educational environment, and teachers and school administrators can suffer
21from secondary trauma; and
22 WHEREAS, children living with trauma may suffer from physical restrictions and
23unrealistic parental expectations that inhibit their exploration of the world; and
24 WHEREAS, learning about the impacts of trauma can help keep educators from
25misunderstanding the reasons underlying some children's difficulties with learning, behavior,
26and relationships and help them to implement effective interventions and strategies; and
27 WHEREAS, educators, experts in psychiatry and development, and mental health
28providers work together to improve academic achievement by establishing trauma-informed
29and trauma-sensitive guidelines and practices; and
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HR NO. 164
1 WHEREAS, at least twenty states have implemented trauma-informed schools at
2some level, and since 2014, the National Conference of State Legislatures has supported
3trauma-informed education and awareness; and
4 WHEREAS, trauma-informed practices were referenced in the federal
5reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as the Every Student
6Succeeds Act, signed into law in December 2015; and
7 WHEREAS, at the state level, policymakers should consider eliminating the use of
8mandatory, zero-tolerance requirements for suspensions and expulsions, replacing them with
9more flexible procedures that identify the root of misbehavior, and at the local level, teachers
10and staff should receive the appropriate training to recognize trauma and learn how it affects
11children's development and behavior; and
12 WHEREAS, trauma-informed discipline would promote orderly school environments
13in which teachers can effectively provide instruction and students can achieve their
14maximum potential, and it is appropriate that state laws, policies, and practices relative to
15disciplining students who have been exposed to trauma receive a thorough examination.
16 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
17Legislature of Louisiana does hereby urge and request the State Board of Elementary and
18Secondary Education, through an existing task force, commission, or other study group, to
19study state laws, policies, and practices relative to student discipline with regard to the
20discipline of students exposed to violence and other forms of trauma and to submit a written
21report of findings, conclusions, and any recommendations for legislation to the House
22Committee on Education not later than sixty days prior to the beginning of the 2018 Regular
23Session of the Legislature.
24 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this study shall be conducted in collaboration
25with Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children.
26 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the goal of such study shall be the crafting of
27student discipline laws that are comprehensive, fair, consistent, and designed to promote an
28atmosphere conducive to education.
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HR NO. 164
1 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
2to the president of the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the state
3superintendent of education.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HR 164 Original 2017 Regular Session Leger
Requests that the State Bd. of Elementary and Secondary Education, through an existing task
force, commission, or other study group, study state laws, policies, and practices relative to
student discipline with regard to the discipline of students exposed to violence and other
forms of trauma and submit a written report of findings, conclusions, and any
recommendations for legislation to the House Committee on Education by 60 days prior to
the beginning of the 2018 R.S. Provides that the study be conducted in collaboration with
Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children and that the study's goal shall be
the crafting of student discipline laws that are comprehensive, fair, consistent, and designed
to promote an atmosphere conducive to education.
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