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- BATON ROUGE, La. - A new law demanding that public school students
voice respect when addressing teachers and other adult school employees
won final legislative approval Thursday night.
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- The measure, sought by Republican Gov.
Mike Foster, needs only his signature to become law and will become effective
in elementary school when classes resume this fall. Older grades will be
phased in one year at a time.
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- Senate members agreed Thursday to accept
changes to the bill made by the House of Representatives, including a prohibition
on suspending or expelling students who violate the new law.
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- The law will require students to address
teachers and other adult school employees as "ma'am'' or "sir''
and to use Mr., Mrs., Ms. or Miss when calling them by name.
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- State Sen. Don Cravins, a Democrat who
drafted the law at Foster's request, said the lack of civility and respect
exhibited by too many young people may be contributing to youthful violence.
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- "I expect that the respect children
will have to show their teachers and principals will overflow, with them
showing more respect to each other. If you show respect, you get respect,''
he told Reuters.
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- Many have blamed recent incidents of
school violence, such as the shooting spree at Columbine High School in
Littleton, Colorado, on the failure to instill traditional values in children.
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- Cravins said the Colorado tragedy, in
which 15 people died, contributed to widespread support for his bill.
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- Under the bill, students who did not
show the proper respect would be subject to punishment that would be decided
by their local school boards.
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