BATON ROUGE — The head of Louisiana's Department of Education is encouraging teachers to implement stricter disciplinary actions in the classroom to promote a "safe and orderly" environment ahead of the start of the school year.

In a letter to school officials on Monday, State Superintendent Dr. Cade Brumley highlighted two new state laws going into effect Thursday which give teachers and school administrators more authority to discipline disruptive students.

HB 322 amends the Teachers Bill of Rights and allows teachers to remove disruptive students from their classroom. It also requires the teacher or another school employee to hold a conference with a parent of a student if there are more than three removals. 

SB 358 requires any student in grades six through 12 who are caught with a knife or illegal drugs to face expulsion. The law also requires any student in that age range who is suspended for the same offense at least three times face expulsion. 

Brumley also promoted a series of recommendations written in May by 30 educators across the state which suggest policies to deal with disruptions in the classroom. 

"Affording teachers more disciplinary authority over disruptive students will maintain order in classrooms. Further, students will benefit as distractions will be lessened and academic outcomes strengthened," Brumley said.

Last school year, multiple fights that broke out at school across the state were posted on social media including a bloody fight at Hammond High in May.

A fight near the start of last school year at Central High led to East Baton Rouge Sheriff's deputies ticketing seven students.