RS 17:81.9 School board policies; hiring procedures; statements; requirements - Louisiana Statutes

§81.9.  School board policies; hiring procedures; statements; requirements

A.  Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, prior to hiring any employee, each city, parish, and other local public school board shall require the applicant for such employment, hereinafter referred to in this Section as "the applicant", to sign a statement that:

(1)(a)  Provides procedures for the disclosure of information by the applicant's current or previous employer, if such employer is a city, parish, or other local public school board, relative to all instances of sexual misconduct with students as committed by the applicant, if any.

(b)  Provides procedures for the disclosure of information by the applicant's current or previous employer, if such employer is the Louisiana School for the Deaf, the Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired, or the Louisiana Special Education Center, relative to all instances of abuse or neglect of students, as such terms are defined in Children's Code Article 603, as committed by the applicant, if any.

(2)  Releases the applicant's current or previous employer, if such employer is a city, parish, or other local public school board, and any school employee acting on behalf of such employer from any liability for disclosing any information as described in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection in accordance with the provisions of this Section.

(3)  Provides procedures for the disclosure of information by the applicant of all instances of sexual misconduct with and abuse or neglect as specified in Subparagraph (1)(b) of this Subsection of any student committed by the applicant, if any, and such procedures shall include written notification by the school board, on any application forms provided to the applicant, of the disclosure requirements as contained in R.S. 17:430.

B.  Prior to hiring any applicant, each city, parish, and other local public school board shall request, in writing, that the applicant's current or previous employer, if such employer is a city, parish, or other local public school board,  provide the information as described in Paragraph (A)(1) of this Section, if such information exists, and make available to the hiring school board copies of all documents as contained in the applicant's personnel file maintained by such employer relative to such instances of sexual misconduct and abuse or neglect as specified in Subparagraph (A)(1)(b) of this Section, if any.  Such request for information shall include a copy of the statement signed by the applicant as provided in Subsection A of this Section.

C.  By not later than twenty business days after receiving a request as specified in Subsection B of this Section, the city, parish, or other local public school board shall provide the information requested, if any such information exists, and shall make available to the requesting school board copies of all documents as contained in the applicant's personnel file relating to all instances of sexual misconduct and abuse or neglect as specified in Subparagraph (A)(1)(b) of this Section, if any.

D.  Any city, parish, or other local public school board or any school employee acting on behalf of such board who in good faith discloses any information pursuant to this Section shall be immune from civil liability for having disclosed such information.

E.  Except as provided in Subsection F of this Section, no city, parish, or other local public school board shall hire an applicant who does not sign the statement as described in Subsection A of this Section.

F.  Any city, parish, or other local public school board may employ any applicant on a conditional basis pending the board's review of any information obtained pursuant to this Section.

G.  Any information obtained by a city, parish, or other local public school board pursuant to this Section shall be used by such board only for the purpose of evaluating an applicant's qualifications for employment in the position for which he has applied.

H.  Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, no member of a city, parish, or other local public school board or school employee employed by such board shall disclose any information obtained pursuant to this Section to any person, other than the applicant, who is not directly involved in the process of evaluating the applicant's qualifications for employment.  Any person who violates the provisions of this Subsection shall be guilty of a misdemeanor offense and shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned for not more than six months, or both.

I.  The provisions of this Section shall not prevent any city, parish, or other local public school board from requesting or requiring any applicant to provide any information other than that as described in this Section.

J.  By not later than September 1, 2006, the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education shall adopt rules and regulations to define "sexual misconduct" for purposes of this Section and such rules and regulations shall be applicable to all public school employees.

K.  By not later than November 1, 2006, each city, parish, and other local public school board shall develop and adopt policies as necessary for the implementation of the provisions of this Section.

L.  For purposes of this Section, city, parish, and other local public school board shall mean the governing authority of any public elementary or secondary school.

Acts 2006, No. 723, §1, eff. June 29, 2006; Acts 2009, No. 223, §1.