HLS 20RS-1276 ORIGINAL
2020 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 840
BY REPRESENTATIVE FREIBERG
EDUCATION: Provides with respect to instruction and training relative to the safety of
students, including suicide and violence prevention
1 AN ACT
2To amend and reenact R.S. 17:282.4(C)(1)(c) and (d) and (D)(2) and 437.1(B)(2)(b) and to
3 enact R.S. 17:410.1, relative to student safety; to provide relative to suicide
4 prevention, including school programs and in-service training for school employees;
5 to require instruction in violence prevention and social inclusion; to provide for the
6 creation of violence prevention clubs in schools; and to provide for related matters.
7Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
8 Section 1. R.S. 17:282.4(C)(1)(c) and (d) and (D)(2) and 437.1(B)(2)(b) are hereby
9amended and reenacted and R.S. 17:410.1 is hereby enacted to read as follows:
10 §282.4. Youth suicide prevention programs; policies; intent; rules; services; funding
11 * * *
12 C. Any city, parish, or other local public school system offering a youth
13 suicide prevention program established pursuant to this Section shall do so in
14 accordance with such rules and regulations adopted by the state board and shall
15 report its participation to the state Department of Education. The department shall
16 designate such a school as a Suicide Prevention Certified School and maintain an
17 updated list of such schools on its website. A youth suicide prevention program may
18 include but shall not be limited to the following:
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1 (1) Classroom instruction integrated into the curricula designed to achieve
2 any of the following objectives:
3 * * *
4 (c) Teach students to recognize signs of suicidal tendencies and other facts
5 about youth suicide as well as how to identify signs and signals of depression and
6 self-injury.
7 (d) Inform students of the available community youth suicide prevention
8 services and of the importance of seeking help for themselves and their peers.
9 * * *
10 D.
11 * * *
12 (2) Any local youth suicide prevention program may be established and
13 implemented in a city, parish, or other local public school system upon identifying
14 and securing funds or services from other state and local agencies, federal funds, or
15 grants from private foundations.
16 * * *
17 §410.1. Violence prevention and social inclusion; required instruction
18 A. Each public school serving students in any of the grades six through
19 twelve shall:
20 (1) Provide to students at least one hour or one standard class period of
21 evidence-based instruction in violence prevention each school year. Such instruction
22 may be delivered in-person or digitally and shall, at a minimum, be designed to teach
23 students the following:
24 (a) How to identify warning signs of an individual who may be a threat to
25 himself or others.
26 (b) The importance of taking threats seriously and seeking help.
27 (c) The steps they can take to report dangerous, violent, threatening, and
28 harmful or potentially harmful activity.
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1 (2) Create and provide for a student-led violence prevention club. The club
2 shall:
3 (a) Be open to all members of the student body.
4 (b) Have at least one adult advisor.
5 (c) Provide awareness activities related to suicide prevention, violence
6 prevention, and social inclusion.
7 (d) Foster opportunities for student leadership development.
8 B. Each public school serving students in any of the grades kindergarten
9 through twelve shall provide to students at least one hour or one standard class
10 period of evidence-based instruction on social inclusion each school year. Such
11 instruction may be delivered in-person or digitally and shall, at a minimum, be
12 designed to teach students the following:
13 (1) What social isolation is and how to identify social isolation in others.
14 (2) The importance of taking social isolation seriously and seeking help for
15 peers.
16 (3) How to use strategies to be more socially inclusive in the classroom and
17 community and to establish connections with peers.
18 * * *
19 §437.1. Suicide prevention; in-service training; materials and supplies; limitation
20 on liability
21 * * *
22 B.
23 * * *
24 (2) The training shall address the following:
25 * * *
26 (b) How to identify warning signs of depression, suicide, and self-injury and
27 how teachers should respond to suspicious behavior or warning signs exhibited by
28 students.
29 * * *
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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)]
HB 840 Original 2020 Regular Session Freiberg
Abstract: Provides relative to the safety of students, including in-service training and
instruction on suicide prevention and instruction on violence prevention and social
inclusion.
Suicide prevention
Present law (R.S. 17:282.4) requires the State Bd. of Elementary and Secondary Education
(BESE) to provide by rule for a statewide youth suicide prevention plan in public schools,
including procedures for the development of youth suicide prevention programs. Provides
that any such program may include classroom instruction designed to achieve any of the
following objectives:
(1)Encourage sound decisionmaking and promote ethical development.
(2)Increase student awareness of the relationship between drug and alcohol use and
youth suicide.
(3)Teach students to recognize signs of suicidal tendencies and other facts about youth
suicide.
(4)Inform students of the available community youth suicide prevention services.
(5)Further cooperative efforts of school personnel and community youth suicide
prevention program personnel.
Proposed law adds teaching students how to identify signs and signals of depression and
self-injury and informing students about the importance of seeking help for themselves and
their peers to these objectives.
Present law provides that any local youth suicide prevention program may be established and
implemented in a school system upon identifying and securing funds or services from other
state and local agencies. Proposed law adds federal funds and grants from private
foundations to funds that school systems may identify and secure for this purpose.
Present law (R.S. 17:437.1) provides the following relative to in-service training for teachers
and school employees regarding suicide prevention:
(1)Requires public and nonpublic school teachers, counselors, and administrators to
participate annually in in-service training relative to suicide prevention.
(2)Requires BESE to adopt guidelines for such training and identify suitable programs
for use in such training and the state Dept. of Education to post a listing of such
programs on its website.
(3)Requires training to address certain topics, including increasing awareness of risk
factors; how teachers should respond to suspicious behavior or warning signs and
crisis situations in which a student is an imminent danger to himself; policies for
communicating with parents; available counseling services; dissemination of
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information on crisis intervention, suicide prevention, and mental health services;
and available community organizations and agencies for referral of students.
Proposed law adds that such training shall also address how to identify the warning signs of
depression, suicide, and self-injury.
School safety
Present law provides relative to the reporting and investigations of threats of violence or
terrorism at schools, including the requirements that (a) school employees report credible
and imminent threats to law enforcement and school administrators and (b) public school
governing authorities adopt policies for the investigation of reported threats.
Proposed law requires:
(1)Each public school serving students in grades 6-12 to provide at least one hour or
one standard class period of evidence-based instruction in violence prevention each
school year and create and provide for a student-led violence prevention club.
(2)Each public school serving students in grades K-12 to provide at least one hour or
one standard class period of evidence-based instruction on social inclusion each
school year.
(Amends R.S. 17:282.4(C)(1)(c) and (d) and (D)(2) and 437.1(B)(2)(b); Adds R.S. 17:410.1)
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