17:416.16

Title 17. Education

Chapter 2. Teachers and Employees

Part I. General Provisions

17:416.16 School crisis management and response plans

A. (1) For the purposes of this Section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

(a) “Crisis management and response plan” shall mean a plan to address school safety and the incidence of a shooting or other violence at schools, on school buses, and at school-related activities; to respond effectively to any incidents; and to ensure that every student, teacher, and school employee has access to a safe, secure, and orderly school that is conducive to learning. The plan shall also address the management of any other emergency situation.

(b) “District threat assessment team” shall mean a team established by each governing authority of public elementary and secondary schools. The team shall include the local school superintendent; the principal of each school; a person with responsibility over the school facilities; a mental health professional employed by the governing authority, or, if the governing authority has no such employee, a mental health professional selected by the local school superintendent; any school resource officer employed by the governing authority; any Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps instructor employed by the governing authority; and the emergency preparedness and recovery point of contact.

(c) “Emergency preparedness and recovery point of contact” shall mean a person selected by the local school superintendent to serve as a point of contact with local and state officials and the media in the event of an emergency.

(d) “Local superintendent” shall mean the chief executive officer of the school or other employee holding an equivalent position.

(2)(a) A school crisis management and response plan shall be prepared by each public school principal jointly with local law enforcement, fire, public safety, and emergency preparedness officials. The plan shall seek to utilize resources and information available through the Louisiana Commission on School and Nonprofit Security, R.S. 29:726.5 et seq.

(b) In preparing or revising the plan, the principal shall consult with the district threat assessment team. The principal and the threat assessment team shall determine whether to consider input from students enrolled in the school and their parents, teachers at the school, other school employees, and community leaders.

(3) The plan, which shall focus on preventing the loss of life and the injury of students and teachers and other school employees, shall detail the roles and responsibilities of each school employee and of each local and state public safety and emergency preparedness office. The plan shall include the relevant coordination agreements, services, and security measures of a school.

(4) The plan shall provide for an all-hazards approach response plan for emergency events including any event with a hostage, an active shooter, or a building lockdown.

(5) The plan shall provide for the notification of parents, faculty, staff, and local public safety officials in the event of a shooting or other violent incident or emergency situation.

(6) The plan shall provide for the counseling of students by mental health professionals in the event of a shooting or other violent incident or emergency situation, encouraging peer helper programs, and identifying students who may have experienced rejection or other traumatic life events.

B. (1) Each public school principal, jointly with local law enforcement, fire, public safety, and emergency preparedness officials, shall review the plan at least once annually and shall revise the plan as necessary. Each principal shall submit the plan in writing to the local school superintendent for approval at least once annually, including upon each revision.

(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, when conducting the annual review of the crisis management and response plan for a high school, the school principal shall seek and consider input from the students enrolled in the school who shall be represented by either the president of the senior class or the president of the student council and at least one other responsible student selected by the principal.

(3) The local school superintendent shall make an annual report to the public school governing authority on the status of the plan of each school under the governing authority’s jurisdiction and shall submit a copy of the report to the state Department of Education and the Center for Safe Schools provided for in R.S. 29:276.5.1.

C. (1) Within the first thirty days of each school year, each public school principal shall conduct a safety drill to rehearse the components of the plan, including an active shooter scenario. In addition, each school year, each principal shall conduct at least one additional drill during high traffic or transition points in the school day. Not later than seven days after each drill, the principal shall submit a written report summarizing the details of the drill to the local school superintendent. The superintendent shall comment on the drill to the principal, who shall consider the comments in revising the plan.

(2) Each public school principal shall notify all teachers and other school employees regarding revisions made to the plan.

D. Each plan shall provide that:

(1) Classroom doors with locks shall be in compliance with all fire safety standards promulgated by the office of state fire marshal code enforcement and building safety of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections and shall remain locked during instructional time. Each plan shall provide that a locked door shall not obstruct egress.

(2)(a) Bleeding control kits shall be placed in easily accessible locations in each school.

(b) The principal shall designate employees to be trained in the proper use of a bleeding control kit and in traumatic injury response.

E. A person acting in good faith who administers aid for a traumatic injury, including through the use of a bleeding control kit, shall be immune from criminal and civil liability for the administration, unless personal injury results from gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct in the administration of aid.

F. Each school year, each public school principal shall be responsible for providing in-service training, which may be incorporated into a meeting or training session held for another purpose, for all teachers and school employees pertaining to the plan and shall involve local law enforcement, fire, public safety, and emergency preparedness officials in the preparation and presentation of the training. The training shall include an active shooter exercise. The training shall be reported to the local school superintendent and the state Department of Education.

G. Each public school principal shall keep a copy of the approved plan in his office and shall provide a copy to the following individuals, each of whom shall be responsible for keeping in his respective office a copy of the plan that is readily accessible in the event of a school shooting or other violent incident or emergency situation:

(1) The president of the local school board.

(2) The local school superintendent.

(3) The chief of police of the municipality or the sheriff of the parish where the school is located, as applicable, as well as the local fire chief whose office is in closest geographic proximity to the school.

(4) The state Department of Education.

(5) The Center for Safe Schools within the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

H. (1) The governing authority of each public elementary and secondary school may adopt rules and regulations as it deems necessary to provide for the implementation of the provisions of this Section.

(2) The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, in consultation with the Nonpublic School Commission, shall adopt rules and regulations requiring the governing authorities of nonpublic schools to address school safety. These rules and regulations shall address management and response in the event of a shooting or other violent incident on school campuses, school buses, and at school-related activities and shall provide for a safe, secure, and orderly school that is conducive to learning for every student, teacher, and school employee. These rules and regulations may also address management and response in the event of any other emergency situation.

I. (1) The state Department of Education shall review national awareness campaigns relative to the response to traumatic injuries and develop and offer annual training, or provide updated links to training, on the response to traumatic injuries and the proper use of a bleeding control kit.

(2) The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education shall develop rules relative to bleeding control kits that specify the minimum items to be included in a kit, when a kit shall be inspected and restocked, and how often designated employees shall be trained.

J. In accordance with R.S. 44:3.1, school crisis management and response plans shall not be subject to the Public Records Law.

Added by Acts 2001, No. 313, § 1, eff. June 6, 2001. Amended by Acts 2013, No. 50, § 1; Acts 2018, No. 168, § 1; Acts 2019, No. 44, § 1, eff. June 1, 2019; Acts 2023, No. 334, § 1, eff. June 13, 2023.