Executive committee endorses sending six state-driven policy revisions to full board

The executive committee of the Saint Bernard Parish School Board on Aug. 12 considered six policy revisions and voted unanimously to forward them to the full board. Presenter Mister Morales said the updates are largely required by state law or Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) policy and reflect legislation from the 2024 and 2025 sessions as well as BESE bulletins. Key changes reviewed by the committee included: - IFA (Instructional Materials): Revised to implement Act 103 (2025), adding access to materials online, allowing paper copies made on school equipment for reasonable fees, and specifying that no fee is charged for in-person viewing when parents access materials online or use their own device. The required access applies only to adopted curriculum, the presenter said. - JBD (Student Absences and Excuses): Updated to reflect BESE Bulletin 741 (section 105), which divides absences into three categories (excused, unexcused, and suspension/expulsion) and specifies that absent students, including those suspended, are eligible to submit assignments and receive academic credit when work is satisfactory and timely. - IFBGA (Student Computer Access and Use): Amended after Act 686 (2024) repealed R.S. 17:280; the policy removes statutory internet/cellphone training requirements and leaves such training to local discretion. - JCDAF (Bullying and Hazing): Updated to align with 2024 legislative amendments to teacher training and to set frequency of required trainings; the district will use the Vector SafeSchools platform for required trainings. - JGCE (Child Abuse Reporting): Revised following Act 195 (2025) to clarify that when a school resource officer (SRO) is notified of suspected abuse by a mandatory reporter, the SRO must immediately notify their employing law enforcement agency or the Department of Child and Family Services and the investigation will be assigned to the most appropriate law enforcement officer. - JGCF (Behavioral Health Support for Students): Based on Act 504 (2025), the policy requires that schools make available an annual mental health assessment by a licensed behavioral health provider for students in grades 3'12 if a parent or guardian authorizes it. The assessments must be provided at no cost to the school; districts must provide lists of licensed providers (the Department of Health will maintain a list), and assessments may be conducted on campus with parental permission. Board members asked implementation questions about the behavioral health screenings, including whether Medicaid providers would be on the provider list and whether the district or parents would bear any cost. District staff said the Department of Health will supply a list of licensed providers and that the assessments must be available to students at no cost to the school; parental permission is required for on-campus assessments. Each policy item was the subject of a committee motion to forward the revision to the full board; votes on each motion were recorded as 9-0 in favor.