Lafayette school board could help student parents with new absence, breastfeeding policies
The Lafayette Parish School Board is expected to vote on policy changes during its meeting Wednesday, including rules on absences and breastfeeding for pregnant students and students with children; voter registration for high school students; and changes to the bullying and hazing policy.
The school board will meet at 5:30 p.m.Wednesday at 113 Chaplin Drive. The meetings are live-streamed on YouTube.
Updates to a dozen policies are included on the board's consent agenda for the meeting, though many of the changes may be clerical or only reflect changes to state law.
Here's a breakdown of the policies on the agenda:
Updated policies for expecting and parenting students
The board is expected to consider changes on its policies for students who are expecting a child or who are raising a child while in school, particularly looking at absences and a new policy on breastfeeding.
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The shift eliminates some specific requirements for long absences for expectant and parenting students. Under the current policy, implemented in 2018, students were allowed an extended leave of absence "for so long a period as is deemed medically necessary by the student's physician."
The revised policy would replace that section with "Utilize sensible attendance policies, taking into account all necessary factors."
The updated rules also would excuse absences for pregnancy-related events or conditions, such as going into labor and prenatal or postnatal appointments. Absences for a child's medical appointment or illness or for legal issues like adoption, custody or visitation also would be excused.
Both the mother and father could get at least 10 days of excused absences after the birth of a child,
At the end of pregnancy- or parenting-related absence, the student should be allowed to make up missed work over a period of time that is not less than the number of days missed. The student would also have several options to make up the work, including retaking a semester, an online course credit recovery program, being granted six weeks to continue at the same pace or home-based instruction.
The board also will consider adding a breastfeeding policy that would require schools to provide:
A private room for students to pump breast milk or breastfeed a child.
Permission to bring a breast pump or other equipment to school.
Access to a power source for breast pumping equipment.
Access to a place to store breast milk safely.
The policy also would require schools to give lactating students a reasonable amount of time for pumping or breastfeeding and ensure that students do not receive an academic penalty for pumping or breastfeeding while at school.
The board also will look at a provision that would require the school board to providestudent mothers and fathers information on childcare options.
Bullying and hazing policy getting 'failure to act' section
Lafayette Parish School System teachers or staff members who fail to report bullying to a school official after witnessing bullying or receiving a report of bullying will be investigated by the school board under a proposed addition to the LPSS bullying and hazing policy.
If the board finds that the staff member failed to act, the board can suspend them without pay for a length of time determined by the board and based on the severity of the bullying. The board will report the failure to report to the Louisiana Department of Education.
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If an administrator or school official does not notify a parent or legal guardian of a report of bullying, investigate a report of bullying, take prompt and appropriate disciplinary action, or report criminal conduct to law enforcement, they also will be suspended without pay by the board. The suspension's length will be determined by the severity of the bullying, and the board will submit a report to the Louisiana Department of Education.
The updated policy would require each school to create a program to "prohibit and prevent" bullying. Each public elementary school and secondary school also would be required to have a bullying report form on its website.
New policy on voter registration
A new policy that the board will consider would require that the board provide at least one opportunity for each high school senior that is 17 years-old or older to register to vote.
The students would be able to use a school computer to fill out the electronic voter registration application or use the state mail voter registration form. No political or partisan groups will be allowed to participate in the process.
Storage of EpiPens in classrooms
The board's policy on medications at school could include a new provision on the storage and use of EpiPens by teachers.
Under the proposed change, a student's parent or legal guardian would provide the school with a supply of EpiPens for the classroom, written authorization for the student to receive the medicine, written certification from the student's physician that the student is at risk of anaphylaxis and cannot self-administer the dose and a written treatment plan.
Changes on hair styles
Several of the board's policies are being updated to reflect a new state law prohibiting discrimination based on natural hairstyles.
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The new law protects students and people in the workforce. The law specifically bans discrimination based on a person's "natural, protective or cultural hairstyle," Gov. John Bel Edwards said when he signed the bill into law.
The protection is seen as particularly important for Black women and girls, who have historically faced discrimination and prejudice for wearing their natural or cultural hairstyles.
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This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Lafayette school board to consider more help for students with babies
