K–12 officials tell task force Louisiana law requires student codes of conduct; districts urged to expand hazing education

At the Nov. 3 meeting of the Caleb Wilson Hazing Prevention Task Force, Tavares Walker, executive director of the Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE), told legislators ‘‘every school in Louisiana must adopt a student code of conduct that includes prohibitions against bullying and that prohibition must align with state law that's found in title 17, section 4 16, 13, 14, 15 and 16.’’

Walker and other K–12 leaders described a framework of BESE bulletins and rules — identified in materials provided to the task force as Bulletin 741 (Louisiana Handbook for School Administrators), Bulletin 741 nonpublic section 13.11 for nonpublic schools, and Bulletin 126 for charter schools — that guide local policies, investigations and parent notification.

‘‘You will find that school systems have very leeway in terms of what they must do. Where the school system do have leeway is in the prescribed professional development and curriculum around this topic,’’ Walker said, summarizing BESE’s view that the law sets reporting, investigation…