SLS 21RS-1215 ORIGINAL
2021 Regular Session
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 41
BY SENATOR POPE
BESE. Requests the state superintendent of education to request ESEA waivers regarding
school and district accountability and reporting requirements for the 2020-2021 school year.
1 A RESOLUTION
2 To urge and request the state superintendent of education to request Elementary and
3 Secondary Education Act (ESEA) waivers regarding school and district
4 accountability and reporting requirements for the 2020-2021 school year.
5 WHEREAS, Section 8401 of ESEA authorizes state departments of education to
6 request waivers of its provisions; twenty-eight state departments plus the District of
7 Columbia have already requested such waivers for the 2020-2021 school year; and
8 WHEREAS, due to the COVID-19 global health pandemic, the 2020-2021 school
9 year has been trying on students, families, teachers, and education officials alike; and
10 WHEREAS, natural disasters also drastically disrupted elementary and secondary
11 education services in multiple Louisiana parishes, including hurricanes Marco, Laura, Sally,
12 Beta, and Delta in 2020, and the winter storm of February 2021; and
13 WHEREAS, students across the state have been exposed to different levels of
14 in-person instruction, online instruction, and hybrids of in-person and online instruction; and
15 WHEREAS, the disruption of education due to COVID-19 and extraordinary weather
16 events during the 2020-2021 school year will likely result in an inaccurate measure of
17 educational outcomes; inaccurate measures ought not be used as a basis for imposing
18 negative consequences on schools, school districts, or teachers.
Page 1 of 2 SR NO. 41
SLS 21RS-1215 ORIGINAL
1 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
2 does hereby urge and request the state superintendent of education to seek a waiver from the
3 provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act dealing with accountability and
4 school identification requirements, Sections 1111(c)(4) and 1111(d)(1)(C)-(D), and with the
5 report card provisions related to accountability, Section 1111(h), based upon the disruptions
6 of education during the 2020-2021 school year.
7 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
8 state superintendent of education and the president of the State Board of Elementary and
9 Secondary Education.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Jeanne C. Johnston.
DIGEST
SR 41 Original 2021 Regular Session Pope
Requests the state superintendent of education to request waivers from provisions of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act relative to school and district accountability and
reporting for the 2020-2021 school year.
Page 2 of 2