(1) The state Department of Education, subject to rules and regulations developed, adopted, and promulgated by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act and in consultation with the state Department of Health and Hospitals, shall establish and administer a targeted coordinated school health program, referred to in this Section as the “program”. (2) The program shall be established for the purpose of reducing childhood obesity and shall bring together school administrators, teachers, other school employees, students, families, and community members to assess health needs, set priorities, and plan, implement, and evaluate school health activities directed toward this purpose. (3) The program may be implemented by the governing authority of each public elementary and secondary school. (4) Program components shall include but need not be limited to the following: ... (e) Counseling, psychological, and social services. (f) A healthy and safe school environment. ... (h) Family and community involvement. (5) The state Department of Education shall have the following duties with respect to establishing and administering the program: (a) Consider existing initiatives, programs, and collaborations that promote and support student health and wellness. (b) Establish program Standard in consultation with organizations involved with issues related to student health, health care, nutrition, and fitness. (c) Establish guidelines for program implementation and provide technical assistance to public school governing authorities with respect to program implementation. (d) Develop and maintain a system to monitor and evaluate progress toward achieving the purpose of the program as provided in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection. (e) Report annually to the governor and the legislature relative to the implementation of the program by public school governing authorities and progress toward achieving the purpose of the program as provided in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection.

A. (1)  The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, in collaboration with the Louisiana Juvenile Justice Planning and Coordination Board, shall formulate, develop, and recommend to the Juvenile Justice Reform Act Implementation Commission by March 1, 2004, a model master plan for improving behavior and discipline within schools.

(2)  The model master plan may include but need not be limited to guidelines for accomplishing the following:

• (a)  Improving communication, coordination, and collaboration between the schools and juvenile justice agencies.

• (b)  Improving safe school planning.

• (c)  Revising school zero tolerance policies to ensure compliance with all applicable provisions of law to ensure that schools do not make inappropriate referrals to juvenile justice agencies.

• (d)  Providing improved mental health services in or through the schools.

• (e)  Providing better assistance to parents in knowing about and accessing family strengthening programs.

• (f)  Improving the coordination of special education and juvenile justice services.

• (g)  Improving classroom management using positive behavioral supports and other effective disciplinary tools.

• (h)  Improving methods and procedures for the handling of school suspensions, the referral of students to alternative schools, and the use of seclusion and physical restraint in addressing challenging student behavior.

• (i)  Providing for better and more useful reporting on an annual basis of school behavioral and disciplinary problems.

A. The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education shall develop and adopt guidelines for in-service training in suicide prevention as provided for in Subsection B of this Section. The board, in coordination with the Louisiana Department of Health, shall identify suitable programs for use in such training. The state Department of Education shall post on its website a listing of approved programs. The list shall include instructions on accessing such programs. The board shall update the list every five years. B. (1) The board shall adopt rules to require that all public and approved nonpublic school teachers, school counselors, and principals and, as determined by the board, other school administrators for whom such training is deemed beneficial participate annually in at least two hours of in-service training in suicide prevention. Such rules shall include provisions permitting such training to be provided by self-review of suitable materials. (2) The training shall address the following: (a) Increasing awareness of risk factors including but not limited to the following: (i) Mental health and substance abuse conditions. (ii) Childhood abuse, neglect, and trauma. (iii) Potential causes of stress, such as bullying, harassment, and relationship problems. (iv) Secondary trauma from a suicide or sensationalized or graphic accounts of suicide in media. (v) History of suicide attempts and related family history. (b) How teachers should respond to suspicious behavior or warning signs exhibited by students. (c) How teachers should respond to a crisis situation in which a student is an imminent danger to himself. (d) Policies and protocol for communication with parents, including specifications for circumstances in which parental notification is not in the best interest of the student. (e) Counseling services available within the school for students and their families related to suicide prevention. (f) Dissemination of information concerning crisis intervention, suicide prevention, and mental health services in the community for students and their families and school employees. (g) Community organizations and agencies for referral of students to health, mental health, substance abuse, and social support services, including development of at least one memorandum of understanding between the school system and such an entity in the community or region. C. (1) No person shall have a cause of action for any loss or damage caused by any act or omission resulting from the implementation of or good faith attempt to implement the provisions of this Section or resulting from any training or lack thereof required by this Section, unless such loss or damage was caused by willful or wanton misconduct. (2) Neither the training required by this Section nor the lack thereof shall be construed to impose any specific duty of care. D. (1) The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education shall randomly survey employees of public and approved nonpublic secondary schools to ascertain their compliance with the suicide prevention training requirements of this Section. (2) The governing authority of each such secondary school shall document and verify to the state Department of Education, by December thirty-first of each year, that all school employees have received the mandatory suicide prevention training as outlined in this Section. (3) The board shall annually develop a written report of the survey findings and any recommendations and shall submit such report to the Senate Committee on Education, the House Committee on Education, the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare, and the House Committee on Health and Welfare not later than March first of each year. E. This Section shall be known and may be cited as the “Jason Flatt Act”.