§38.4. Harassment of a school or recreation athletic contest official
A.(1) No person shall engage in the harassment of a school athletic or recreation
athletic contest official that occurs under either of the following circumstances:
(a) While the school athletic or recreation athletic contest official is actively engaged
in the conducting, supervising, refereeing, or officiating of a school-sanctioned
interscholastic athletic contest or a sanctioned recreation athletic contest.
(b) In the immediate vicinity of a school-sanctioned interscholastic athletic contest
or a sanctioned recreation athletic contest and is based on the official's performance in the
conducting, supervising, refereeing, or officiating of a school-sanctioned interscholastic
athletic contest or a sanctioned recreation athletic contest.
(2) For purposes of this Subsection, "harassment" shall include verbal or non-verbal
behavior by the offender that would cause a reasonable person to be placed in fear of
receiving bodily harm.
B. For purposes of this Section:
(1) "Recreation athletic contest official" means any referee, umpire, coach, instructor,
administrator, staff person, or recreation employee of any public or quasi public recreation
program.
(2) "School athletic contest official" means any referee, umpire, coach, instructor,
administrator, staff person, or school or school board employee of any public or private
elementary and secondary school.
C.(1) Whoever commits the crime of harassment of a school or recreation athletic
contest official shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars, imprisoned without hard
labor for not more than ninety days, or both.
(2)(a) In addition to any other penalty imposed, the court shall order the offender to
perform forty hours of court-approved community service work.
(b) In addition to any other penalty imposed, the court shall order the offender to
participate in a court-approved counseling program which may include anger management,
abusive behavior intervention groups, or any other type of counseling deemed appropriate
by the court. Any costs associated with the counseling program shall be borne by the
offender.
(c) Participation in the community service and counseling program required by the
provisions of Subparagraphs (a) and (b) of this Paragraph shall not be suspended.
(d) Failure to successfully complete the community service work and counseling
program, as determined by the supervisor of the program to which he is assigned, may result
in revocation of probation.
Acts 2019, No. 355, §1.