LAC 28:LXXIX.1311. Bullying

A. Policy. Each nonpublic school shall develop, adopt, and implement a policy that prohibits the bullying of a student by another student and contains all required components in accordance with R.S. 17:416.14. 1. The bullying policy shall be implemented in a manner that is ongoing throughout the year and integrated with a school’s curriculum, a school’s discipline policies, and other violence prevention efforts. 2. The policy shall contain the definition of bullying found in this Section and shall address the following: a. process for reporting and appeals; b. procedures for investigating reports of bullying; c. the disciplinary and criminal consequences of bullying another student; d. appropriate remedies for a student found to have been bullied; e. a prohibition against false reporting and retaliation; and f. procedures for investigating and reporting of each school administrator, teacher, counselor, bus operator, and school employee for failure to act. 3. Each nonpublic school shall ensure that each student, each student’s parent or legal guardian, and each school administrator, teacher, counselor, bus operator, school employee, and volunteer receives a copy of the bullying policy and is aware of all duties and responsibilities related to preventing and stopping bullying. B. Definition of Bullying 1. Bullying is defined as a pattern of one or more of the following behaviors: a. gestures, including but not limited to obscene gestures and making faces; b. written, electronic, or verbal communications, including but not limited to calling names, threatening harm, taunting, malicious teasing, or spreading untrue rumors; c. physical acts, including but not limited to hitting, kicking, pushing, tripping, choking, damaging personal property, or unauthorized use of personal property; and d. repeatedly and purposefully shunning or excluding from activities. 2. Behavior defined as bullying is exhibited toward a student, more than once, by another student or group of students and occurs, or is received by, a student while onschool property, at a school-sponsored or school-related function or activity, in any school bus or van, at any designated school bus stop, in any other school or private vehicle used to transport students to and from schools, or any school-sponsored activity or event. 3. Bullying must have the effect of physically harming a student, placing the student in reasonable fear of physical harm, damaging a student's property, placing the student in reasonable fear of damage to the student's property, or must be sufficiently severe, persistent, and pervasive enough to either create an intimidating or threatening educational environment, have the effect of substantially interfering with a student's performance in school, or have the effect of substantially disrupting the orderly operation of the school.