SLS 21RS-223 ORIGINAL 2021 Regular Session SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 15 BY SENATOR MILLIGAN BESE. Requests the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to create a Purple Star School Award Program. 1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION 2 To urge and request the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to create a 3 Purple Star School Award Program, administered through the state Department of 4 Education, to recognize schools that evidence a major commitment to serving 5 students and families connected to the United States Armed Forces. 6 WHEREAS, Louisiana is a member state of the Interstate Compact on Educational 7 Opportunity for Military Children; and 8 WHEREAS, the Louisiana Legislature ratified this membership in 2009 through the 9 enactment of R.S. 17:1915; and 10 WHEREAS, the development of the Purple Star School Award Program shall serve 11 to recognize military-friendly schools that have demonstrated a major commitment to 12 miliary-connected students and families; and 13 WHEREAS, selected schools should, at a minimum, designate a staff member as a 14 military liaison to serve as the primary point of contact for military-connected students and 15 families, who will work to identify special considerations needed by military-connected 16 students and families, and who will help to develop training to inform teachers and other 17 school personnel of those special considerations; and 18 WHEREAS, each Purple Star School should have a dedicated page on its website Page 1 of 2 SCR NO. 15 SLS 21RS-223 ORIGINAL 1 featuring resources for military-connected students and their families; and 2 WHEREAS, each Purple Star School should maintain a student-led transition 3 program to provide peer support for military-connected students; and 4 WHEREAS, the governing authority of each designated school should adopt a 5 resolution stating the commitment of the support for military-connected students and 6 families and have assigned a central office staff member to be the contact for the school 7 based liaison and military-connected students and families; and 8 WHEREAS, each Purple Star School should be selected by the State Board of 9 Elementary and Secondary Education based upon rules and guidelines adopted for this 10 purpose; and 11 WHEREAS, each school recognized as a Purple Star School should receive a Purple 12 Star School Award certificate to display at the school and on the school's website to help 13 military families identify schools committed to serving their students. 14 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby 15 request the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to create a Purple Star 16 School Award Program, administered through the state Department of Education, to 17 recognize schools that evidence a major commitment to serving students and families 18 connected to the United States Armed Forces. 19 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the 20 president of the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the state 21 superintendent of education. The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Cheryl Serrett. DIGEST SCR 15 Original 2021 Regular Session Milligan Requests the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to create a Purple Star School Award Program, administered through the state Department of Education, to recognize schools that evidence a major commitment to serving students and families connected to the United States Armed Forces. Page 2 of 2