2018 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 76
BY SENATOR JOHNS AND REPRESENTATI VE DWIGHT
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To urge and request the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to ascertain
whether the Jason Flatt Act is complied with by all Louisiana public, approved
nonpublic, and charter school teachers, school counselors, principals, and other
school administrators for whom suicide awareness training is deemed beneficial.
WHEREAS, suicide is the third leading cause of death for Louisiana teens; and
WHEREAS, the Jason Flatt Act, R.S. 17:437.1, was unanimously enacted in the 2008
Regular Session and requires that the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
(BESE) develop and adopt guidelines for in-service training in suicide prevention and
identify suitable materials for use in such training; and
WHEREAS, R.S. 17:437.1 also requires BESE adopt rules to require that all public
and approved nonpublic school teachers, school counselors, and principals and, as
determined by BESE, other school administrators for whom such training is deemed
beneficial participate annually in at least two hours of in-service training in suicide
prevention and include provisions permitting such training to be provided by self-review of
suitable materials; and
WHEREAS, the purpose of the Jason Flatt Act is to save the lives of Louisiana teens
by requiring two hours of mandatory suicide awareness training annually for all Louisiana
public, nonpublic, and charter school teachers, school counselors, principals, and other
school administrators for whom suicide awareness training is deemed beneficial; and
WHEREAS, it has come to the attention of the legislature that the Jason Flatt Act has
not been, and is not now, being complied with by all Louisiana educational personnel subject
to its mandate; and
WHEREAS, it is of utmost importance that the Jason Flatt Act be complied with on
a uniform and consistent basis by all Louisiana educational personnel subject to its mandate
to avoid the unnecessary loss of Louisiana teen lives to suicide.
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THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Legislature of Louisiana that the State
Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is hereby urged and requested 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 in order to ascertain their compliance with R.S. 17:437.1.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that State Board of Elementary and Secondary
Education mandate that all Louisiana 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 annual two hour suicide awareness in-service training through use of
BESE's adopted suicide awareness curriculum.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that State Board of Elementary and Secondary
Education shall 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.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, the state superintendent of education,
the governor, the lieutenant governor, the attorney general, the chairman of the Senate
Committee on Education, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare, the
chairman of the House Committee on Education, and the chairman of the House Committee
on Health and Welfare.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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