La. Admin. Code tit. 28 § LXXIX-1311

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024

Section LXXIX-1311 - Bullying

A. Policy. Each nonpublic school shall develop and adopt a policy that prohibits the bullying of a student by another student in accordance with R.S. 17:416.14.

1. The bullying policy shall be implemented in a manner that is ongoing throughout the year and integrated with a school's curriculum, a school's discipline policies, and other violence prevention efforts.

2. The policy shall contain the definition of bullying found in this Section and shall address the following:

a. process for reporting and appeals;

b. procedures for investigating reports of bullying; and

c. the disciplinary and criminal consequences of bullying another student.

B. Training for School Personnel. Each school shall create a program to provide for all school employees, including bus drivers, who have contact with students. The training shall be four hours for new employees and two hours annually thereafter and shall specifically include the following:

1. how to recognize the behaviors defined as bullying;

2. how to identify students at each grade level who are most likely to become victims of bullying, while not excluding any student from protection from bullying;

3. how to use appropriate intervention and remediation techniques and procedures;

4. the procedures by which incidents of bullying are to be reported to school officials; and

5. information on suicide prevention, including the relationship between suicide risk factors and bullying.

C. Definition of Bullying

1.Bullying is defined as a pattern of one or more of the following behaviors:

a. gestures, including but not limited to obscene gestures and making faces;

b. written, electronic, or verbal communications, including but not limited to calling names, threatening harm, taunting, malicious teasing, or spreading untrue rumors;

c. physical acts, including but not limited to hitting, kicking, pushing, tripping, choking, damaging personal property, or unauthorized use of personal property; and

d. repeatedly and purposefully shunning or excluding from activities.

2. Behavior defined as bullying is exhibited toward a student, more than once, by another student or group of students and occurs, or is received by, a student while on school property, at a school-sponsored or school-related function or activity, in any school bus or van, at any designated school bus stop, in any other school or private vehicle used to transport students to and from schools, or any school-sponsored activity or event.

3. Bullying must have the effect of physically harming a student, placing the student in reasonable fear of physical harm, damaging a student's property, placing the student in reasonable fear of damage to the student's property, or must be sufficiently severe, persistent, and pervasive enough to either create an intimidating or threatening educational environment, have the effect of substantially interfering with a student's performance in school, or have the effect of substantially disrupting the orderly operation of the school.

D. - G.3.c. Repealed.

La. Admin. Code tit. 28, § LXXIX-1311

Promulgated by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, LR 49246 (2/1/2023), Repromulgated LR 49852 (5/1/2023), Amended LR 50973 (7/1/2024).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 17:416.13.