Provides for preventing bullying in schools. (8/1/26)

Senate Bill 338 enacts Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:416.14(D)(3)(e)(iii) to add a new mandatory disciplinary requirement to the existing bullying prevention framework in schools. The bill modifies the disciplinary action provisions that school officials must take once bullying has been determined to have occurred and after meeting with parents or legal guardians of the students involved. Specifically, the legislation adds a requirement that both the student found to have engaged in bullying conduct and his parent participate in a court-approved decisionmaking course that is necessary for addressing the student's conduct. This requirement operates as an additional disciplinary action alongside the existing provisions allowing school officials to take prompt and appropriate disciplinary action and to report criminal conduct to law enforcement when appropriate.

The practical impact of this bill falls primarily on students found to have engaged in bullying conduct, their parents or guardians, and school administrators responsible for disciplinary decisions. Students and their parents will be required to complete a court-approved decisionmaking course as part of the disciplinary response to substantiated bullying incidents. School administrators will need to identify, reference, and enforce participation in such court-approved courses when administering discipline in bullying cases. Parents of bullied students do not face new obligations under this bill, though they remain involved in the post-determination meeting process already required by existing law.

This bill operates within the existing statutory structure established in Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:416.14, which provides the comprehensive framework for bullying prevention and response in public schools. The legislation does not expand the definition of bullying or alter the investigation and determination procedures already in place, but rather adds a specific requirement to the menu of disciplinary responses available to school officials. The bill assumes the existence of court-approved decisionmaking courses in Louisiana's judicial system, though it does not establish these courses or specify their curriculum, duration, or cost allocation between school districts and families. The provision becomes effective August 1, 2026, allowing time for schools and the court system to coordinate implementation.