Louisiana public schools will be able to give annual mental health screenings to students in grades K-12 with their parents’ consent under a bill advancing through the state Legislature, despite privacy concerns from some conservative lawmakers.
Under Senate Bill 121 by Senator Larry Selders, D-Baton Rouge, schools must conduct the evaluations every fall. Students whose parents or guardians do not consent will not be screened except in limited circumstances, and schools will be required to destroy the collected data within 30 days after the parent or guardian has been notified.
Lawmakers on the House Education Committee revised the bill Tuesday to make the screenings optional rather than mandatory. The committee voted 10-1 to send the amended bill to the House floor for final consideration.
The proposal comes amid rising concerns about students’ mental health following years-long school closures and social isolation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Selders, who said the bill is not expected to create new costs for the state, argued that it will give schools another way to identify students who are struggling and get them help.
“They can connect these minors and their parents to resources that are available,” he said, adding that the law says schools will not be legally liable for the results of the screenings.
Another bill introduced this session would require public schools to give all students in grades 3-8, with parental consent, yearly mental health assessments administered by a licensed mental health provider. That proposal is slated to be reviewed by the Senate Health and Welfare Committee on Wednesday.
The bill that advanced Tuesday says the screening results will be kept confidential, except that parents will be notified if a “potential mental health condition” is spotted.
But Rep. Beryl Amedee, R-Gray, said she was worried the bill gives schools too much authority over students’ sensitive health data. The bill prohibits schools from making decisions, including about academic opportunities or discipline, based on the results. But Amedee said it could still have unintended consequences.
“Once you see something, you can’t unsee it,” she said, adding that the results could “affect the relationship between the student and the school.”
Selders countered that the screeners would play a crucial role in getting some kids the help they need.
“I think the problem is access to care,” he said, adding that “parents can use these results to get resources.”
Rep. Josh Carlson, R-Lafayette, expressed similar concern over schools collecting student data, but Amedee was the only lawmaker to vote against Selders’ bill.
Lawmakers approved some amendments, including one that prohibits schools from collecting metadata, which refers to basic information like how many students have been screened. An amendment that would have required schools to give parents the option to review their child’s screener results was shot down in an 8-5 vote.
Mental health care in schools has become a partisan issue as some conservative critics have raised concerns about government overreach and have claimed that some school programs focused on mental health or social-emotional learning promote liberal ideas.
Last month, the Trump administration canceled $1 billion in grants for student mental health that were authorized with bipartisan support in 2022. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Education told the New York Times that the grants were canceled because some programs focused on hiring diverse mental health staffers.
