SLS 18RS-2661 ORIGINAL
2018 Regular Session
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 76
BY SENATOR JOHNS AND REPRESENTATI VE DWIGHT
BESE. Directs BESE to ensure that all Louisiana public, approved nonpublic, and charter
school teachers, school counselors, principals, and other school administrators for whom
suicide awareness training is deemed beneficial are in compliance with the Jason Flatt Act.
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2 To authorize and direct the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to ensure
3 that the Jason Flatt Act is complied with by all Louisiana public, approved
4 nonpublic, and charter school teachers, school counselors, principals, and other
5 school administrators for whom suicide awareness training is deemed beneficial.
6 WHEREAS, suicide is the third leading cause of death for Louisiana teens; and
7 WHEREAS, the Jason Flatt Act, R.S. 17:437.1, was unanimously enacted in the 2008
8 Regular Session and requires that the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
9 develop and adopt guidelines for in-service training in suicide prevention and identify
10 suitable materials for use in such training; and
11 WHEREAS, R.S. 17:437.1 also requires that the board adopt rules to require that all
12 public and approved nonpublic school teachers, school counselors, and principals and, as
13 determined by the board, other school administrators for whom such training is deemed
14 beneficial participate annually in at least two hours of in-service training in suicide
15 prevention and include provisions permitting such training to be provided by self-review of
16 suitable materials; and
17 WHEREAS, the purpose of the Jason Flatt Act is to save the lives of Louisiana teens
18 by requiring two hours of mandatory suicide awareness training annually for all Louisiana
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1 public, nonpublic, and charter school teachers, school counselors, principals, and other
2 school administrators for whom suicide awareness training is deemed beneficial; and
3 WHEREAS, it has come to the attention of the legislature that the Jason Flatt Act has
4 not been, and is not now, being complied with by all Louisiana educational personnel subject
5 to its mandate; and
6 WHEREAS, it is of utmost importance that the Jason Flatt Act be complied with on
7 a uniform and consistent basis by all Louisiana educational personnel subject to its mandate
8 to avoid the unnecessary loss of Louisiana teen lives to suicide.
9 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Legislature of Louisiana that the State
10 Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is hereby authorized and directed to ensure
11 that all Louisiana public, approved nonpublic, and charter school teachers, school
12 counselors, principals, and other school administrators for whom suicide awareness training
13 is deemed beneficial are in compliance with R.S. 17:437.1.
14 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that BESE shall, no later than August 31, 2018,
15 adopt a uniform suicide awareness curriculum providing two hours of in-service training on
16 suicide awareness, including a test showing mastery of the content, in compliance with R.S.
17 17:437.1(A).
18 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that State Board of Elementary and Secondary
19 Education mandate that all Louisiana school districts document and verify to the state
20 Department of Education by December 31, 2018, and on December thirty-first of each
21 subsequent year, that the Jason Flatt Act is in effect, that all Louisiana public, approved
22 nonpublic, and charter school teachers, school counselors, principals, and other school
23 administrators for whom suicide awareness training is deemed beneficial have received the
24 mandated annual two hour suicide awareness in-service training through use of the board's
25 adopted suicide awareness curriculum.
26 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that State Board of Elementary and Secondary
27 Education prepare a written report indicating its compliance with this Resolution presented
28 to the Senate Education Committee and the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare and
29 the House Education Committee and the House Committee on Health and Welfare no later
30 than March 1, 2019, and on March first of each subsequent year that the Jason Flatt Act is
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SLS 18RS-2661 ORIGINAL
1 in effect.
2 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
3 State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, the state superintendent of education,
4 the governor, the lieutenant governor, the attorney general, the chairman of the Senate
5 Committee on Education, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare, the
6 chairman of the House Committee on Education, and the chairman of the House Committee
7 on Health and Welfare.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Jerry J. Guillot.
DIGEST
SCR 76 Original 2018 Regular Session Johns
Directs BESE to ensure that all Louisiana public, approved nonpublic, and charter school
teachers, school counselors, principals, and other school administrators for whom suicide
awareness training is deemed beneficial are in compliance with R.S. 17:437.1.
Requires that BESE, no later than August 31, 2018, adopt a uniform suicide awareness
curriculum providing two hours of in-service training on suicide awareness, including a test
showing mastery of the content, in compliance with R.S. 17:437.1(A).
Requires that BESE mandate that all Louisiana school districts document and verify to the
state Department of Education by December 31, 2018, and on December thirty-first of each
subsequent year that the Jason Flatt Act is in effect, that all Louisiana public, approved
nonpublic, and charter school teachers, school counselors, principals, and other school
administrators for whom suicide awareness training is deemed beneficial have received the
mandated training through use of the BESE's adopted suicide awareness curriculum.
Requires that BESE prepare a written report indicating its compliance with this Resolution
presented to the Senate Education Committee and the Senate Committee on Health and
Welfare and the House Education Committee and the House Committee on Health and
Welfare no later than March 1, 2019, and on March first of each subsequent year that the
Jason Flatt Act is in effect.
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