Synopsis of several pieces of Louisiana legislation related to prevention programming:
Act 27 of the 1994 Legislature requires that every student in grades K-9 receive a minimum of sixteen contact hours, and every student in grades 10-12 receive a minimum of eight contact hours every school year in substance abuse/prevention education, incorporated into a comprehensive school health program.
Act 171 requires annually a minimum of an one-hour in-service for all school employees on substance abuse prevention. These in-service programs should include signs and symptoms of substance abuse, referral procedures, and alternatives to discipline procedures.
R.S. 17:282.3 requires the State Department of Education in cooperation with state and local agencies to develop a state youth suicide prevention plan, to be implemented by the local school district.
R.S. 17:416.15 requires each school to have a crisis management and response plan which must be reviewed annually by the local public school board.
R.S. 17:416.13 require local school boards to adopt policies relative to harassment, intimidation, and bullying by students, and allows local boards to implement zero-tolerance policies.
