SLS 18RS-2661 ENGROSSED
2018 Regular Session
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 76
BY SENATOR JOHNS AND REPRESENTATI VE DWIGHT
BESE. Requests BESE to ascertain whether all 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 urge and request the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to ascertain
3 whether 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 (BESE) develop and adopt guidelines for in-service training in suicide prevention and
10 identify suitable materials for use in such training; and
11 WHEREAS, R.S. 17:437.1 also requires BESE adopt rules to require that all public
12 and approved nonpublic school teachers, school counselors, and principals and, as
13 determined by BESE, 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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SLS 18RS-2661 ENGROSSED
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 urged and requested to annually
11 survey 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 in order to ascertain their compliance with R.S. 17:437.1.
14 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that State Board of Elementary and Secondary
15 Education mandate that all Louisiana school governing authorities document and verify to
16 the state Department of Education by December thirty-first of each year that all Louisiana
17 public, approved nonpublic, and charter school teachers, school counselors, principals, and
18 other school administrators for whom suicide awareness training is deemed beneficial have
19 received the mandated annual two hour suicide awareness in-service training through use of
20 BESE's adopted suicide awareness curriculum.
21 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that State Board of Elementary and Secondary
22 Education shall submit a written report of survey findings and any recommendations to
23 ensure compliance with the Jason Flatt Act to the Senate Committee on Education, the
24 House Committee on Education, the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare, and the
25 House Committee on Health and Welfare not later than March first of each year.
26 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
27 State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, the state superintendent of education,
28 the governor, the lieutenant governor, the attorney general, the chairman of the Senate
29 Committee on Education, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare, the
30 chairman of the House Committee on Education, and the chairman of the House Committee
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SLS 18RS-2661 ENGROSSED
1 on Health and Welfare.
The original instrument was prepared by Jerry J. Guillot. The following
digest, which does not constitute a part of the legislative instrument, was
prepared by Jeanne Johnston.
DIGEST
SCR 76 Engrossed 2018 Regular Session Johns
Requests BESE to annually survey all Louisiana public, approved nonpublic, and charter
school teachers, school counselors, principals, and other school administrators for whom
suicide awareness training is deemed beneficial to ascertain whether they are in compliance
with R.S. 17:437.1, the Jason Flatt Act.
Requests BESE to mandate that all school governing authorities document and verify to the
state Department of Education by December thirty-first of each year 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.
Requests BESE to submit a written report of survey findings and any recommendations to
ensure compliance with the Jason Flatt Act to the Senate Committee on Education, the
House Committee on Education, the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare, and the
House Committee on Health and Welfare not later than March first of each year.
Summary of Amendments Adopted by Senate
Committee Amendments Proposed by Senate Committee on Education to the
original bill
1. Requests, instead of directs, BESE to comply with provisions of Resolution.
2. Requests BESE to annually survey schools and school districts to ascertain
their compliance with required suicide awareness training.
3. Makes technical changes.
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