Education (Special Education)

This bill requires Louisiana public schools to allow behavioral health and primary care providers to deliver medically necessary services to students during school hours if a parent or guardian requests them. It mandates that school districts create policies permitting these services without creating barriers, while clarifying that schools are not required to establish or fund such clinics. Key provisions include insurance requirements for providers, criminal background checks for staff, and rules ensuring parents can choose their own providers without school interference. The legislation also establishes that these services do not count as special education evaluations and outlines procedures for scheduling care around academic activities.

This resolution asks the state Department of Education and local school districts to submit a report by January 1, 2027, on how they are helping students with seizure disorders in schools. The report must cover how seizure action plans are being used, whether staff have completed required training, and how access to prescribed seizure rescue medications is being managed. While existing law already requires seizure training and action plans, this bill seeks to gather data on implementation to identify gaps and improve consistency across the state. The resolution does not create new laws or funding but instead requests information to help the legislature evaluate how well current policies are working.

HB 342 requires local education agencies (LEAs) in Louisiana to prove the appropriateness of a student's special education program or placement during due process hearings, shifting the burden of proof from parents to the school district. This directly affects parents of students in special education and the LEAs (like school districts) involved in these disputes. The bill specifies that LEAs must meet this burden by showing the program or placement is appropriate "by a preponderance of the evidence" (more likely than not). The change applies to both current and proposed educational plans in formal due process hearings.