2021 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 41
BY SENATORS POPE, ABRAHAM, ALLAIN, BARROW, BOUDREAUX, BOUIE,
CARTER, CATHEY, CLOUD, CONNICK, CORTEZ, FIELDS,
HARRIS, HENRY, HENSGENS, HEWITT, JACKSON, LUNEAU,
MCMATH, MILLIGAN, FRED MILLS, MORRIS, PRICE, REESE,
SMITH, TALBOT, TARVER AND WARD
A RESOLUTION
To urge and request the state superintendent of education to request Elementary and
Secondary Education Act (ESEA) waivers regarding school and district
accountability and reporting requirements for the 2020-2021 school year.
WHEREAS, Section 8401 of ESEA authorizes state departments of education to
request waivers of its provisions; twenty-eight state departments plus the District of
Columbia have already requested such waivers for the 2020-2021 school year; and
WHEREAS, due to the COVID-19 global health pandemic, the 2020-2021 school
year has been trying on students, families, teachers, and education officials alike; and
WHEREAS, natural disasters also drastically disrupted elementary and secondary
education services in multiple Louisiana parishes, including hurricanes Marco, Laura, Sally,
Beta, and Delta in 2020, and the winter storm of February 2021; and
WHEREAS, students across the state have been exposed to different levels of
in-person instruction, online instruction, and hybrids of in-person and online instruction; and
WHEREAS, the disruption of education due to COVID-19 and extraordinary weather
events during the 2020-2021 school year will likely result in an inaccurate measure of
educational outcomes; inaccurate measures ought not be used as a basis for imposing
negative consequences on schools, school districts, or teachers.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby urge and request the state superintendent of education to seek a waiver from the
provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act dealing with accountability and
school identification requirements, Sections 1111(c)(4) and 1111(d)(1)(C)-(D), and with the
report card provisions related to accountability, Section 1111(h), based upon the disruptions
of education during the 2020-2021 school year.
Page 1 of 2 SR NO. 41 ENROLLED
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
state superintendent of education and the president of the State Board of Elementary and
Secondary Education.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
Page 2 of 2