Judges press agencies on how Act 944 behavioral‑health services will be delivered in schools

Judges at the liaison meeting asked Department of Education and health officials how school‑based behavioral‑health services required or enabled by recent legislation will function in practice. The discussion focused on the mechanics of provider access to campuses, whether services would be scheduled to avoid interrupting classroom instruction and how local systems will report and monitor excused absences.

One judge asked whether Act 944 meant schools would be offering therapy within classrooms. Department staff responded that services are intended to be provided on an "as needed" basis and that providers are to work with the school and LDH to schedule sessions so they do not reduce instructional time. Judges raised questions about caps and oversight; staff said the law does not set a session cap and that local systems must coordinate schedules and provider arrangements.

Several judges and attendees pressed concerns about applied behavioral analysis (ABA) and other intensive therapies — including waiting lists, variable utilization across parishes, and inconsistent outcomes versus costs. "We've seen other therapies have excess demand... there's just not a supply marketplace to meet that," one participant said, describing long waits for ABA services and raising questions about quality and oversight.

Department leaders said some implementation choices are intentionally local to preserve district autonomy, and they offered follow‑up meetings and guidance materials to help judges and court staff understand how services will be arranged and how referrals will be initiated.

Why it matters: The arrangement and oversight of school‑based behavioral services affects students' instructional time, privacy protections, interaction with special‑education processes (IEPs), and how courts and schools coordinate interventions for students who appear before juvenile dockets.