LEGISLATIVE SERVICES AGENCY
OFFICE OF FISCAL AND MANAGEMENT ANALYSIS
FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT
LS 7515 NOTE PREPARED: Jan 6, 2025
BILL NUMBER: HB 1285 BILL AMENDED:
SUBJECT: Special Education.
FIRST AUTHOR: Rep. Cash BILL STATUS: As Introduced
FIRST SPONSOR:
FUNDS AFFECTED:XGENERAL IMPACT: State & Local
DEDICATED
FEDERAL
Summary of Legislation: Electronic Recording Equipment: This bill establishes the Special Education
Classroom Grant Program to assist school corporations in complying with certain requirements. The bill
requires a school corporation to provide the parent of a student with the opportunity to collect the student's
property under certain conditions. It requires school corporations to have electronic recording equipment in
each designated special education classroom, seclusion area, sensory room, and time-out area not later than
January 1, 2026. The bill also provides that electronic recording equipment must be active and recording
when certain areas are in use, and that any recorded images and video must be stored for a period of not less
than 90 days. It creates a process by which a parent of a special education student may request to review
certain recorded video footage.
Behavioral Interventionist: This bill requires school corporations to employ at least one behavioral
interventionist not later than January 1, 2026. The bill provides that each school corporation must have a
behavioral interventionist on school grounds during the school year while school is in session, and that the
behavioral interventionist must be involved in certain school actions.
Effective Date: Upon passage.
Explanation of State Expenditures: Special Education Classroom Grant Program: The bill establishes the
Special Education Classroom Grant Program, but does not appropriate funds for the program. The bill
requires the Department of Education (DOE) to begin awarding grants from the program to schools on
September 1, 2025. Dependent on the amount of funding allocated to the program, expenditures would
increase. DOE will also experience a workload increase to administer the program.
Behavioral Interventionist: The bill requires DOE to review and make recommendations to school
corporations regarding the training for behavioral interventionists. This is within the agency’s routine
administrative functions and should be able to be implemented with no additional appropriations, assuming
near customary agency staffing and resource levels.
Explanation of State Revenues:
HB 1285 1 Explanation of Local Expenditures: Summary - By January 1, 2026, schools may be required to hire a
behavioral interventionist and purchase digital video cameras for certain classrooms. Schools required to hire
a behavioral interventionist would increase annual expenditures by $75,000 to $103,800 per interventionist.
Schools who can provide nonviolent crisis intervention training to an existing employee would increase
expenditures by $1,600 to $6,000 for each employee. Schools required to purchase digital video cameras are
expected to increase their expenditures by $2,000 to $10,000 per classroom, depending on the recording
equipment installed to meet the bill’s requirements.
Additional Information -
Behavioral Interventionist: School corporations are required under this bill to employ at least one behavioral
interventionist in each school building by January 1, 2026. A behavioral interventionist (interventionist) is
defined under this bill as a person who has obtained nonviolent crisis intervention training. School
corporations may experience a minor expenditure increase to the extent that they are able to adhere to this
bill’s provisions by providing nonviolent crisis intervention training to an existing employee. Based on
quotes found online, the cost to certify an individual with appropriate de-escalation training costs
approximately $1,600 to $6,000.
School corporations who hire a new interventionist will have higher costs. Mental health social workers who
are trained in crisis intervention are estimated to increase annual salary and fringe benefit expenditures by
$75,000, while a school psychologist who implements individual and school wide behavioral strategies
would increase annual expenditures by approximately $103,000 annually.
Video Recording Equipment: The cost to equip every designated area with a video camera is highly variable
and dependent on:
(1) The quality of the camera;
(2) The number of cameras required in a classroom for adequate coverage;
(3) Installation and wiring costs to install the camera; and
(4) The cost to store video captured by the camera for at least 90 days.
Prices advertised by security camera companies suggest that a four-camera system with 4K capabilities, audio
recording, and motorized varifocal lenses may cost approximately $2,100. Other states have created or
explored legislation where they estimated the cost to install a camera in each special education classroom.
For example in 2019, the Louisiana Legislative Fiscal Office estimated a $5,000 per classroom cost and in
2022 the Maryland Department of Legislative Services estimated a $10,000 per classroom cost. This
compares with the Houston Independent School District who installed cameras in some of their district’s
special education classrooms in 2019 at an average cost of $10,000 per school.
Explanation of Local Revenues:
State Agencies Affected: Department of Education.
Local Agencies Affected: School corporations.
Information Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics;
LSA Form 9 Database;
Louisiana Legislative Fiscal Office, HB 283.
HB 1285 2 https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1140778;
Maryland Department of Legislative Services, HB 226.
https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2022RS/fnotes/bil_0006/hb0226.pdf
https://districtadministration.com/states-require-cameras-in-special-ed-classrooms/#:~:text=Since%20Te
xas'%20law%20went%20into,district's%20interim%20chief%20technology%20officer.
https://www.lorex.com/products/lorex-4k-16-camera-capable-4tb-wired-nvr-system-with-nocturnal-4-sma
rt-ip-bullet-cameras-featuring-motorized-varifocal-lens-vandal-resistant-and-30fps?variant=42640888365206
https://rightresponse.org/pricing/
https://www.crisisprevention.com/event-registration/?specialty=APS#select-specialty
Fiscal Analyst: Kelan Fong, 317-232-9592.
HB 1285 3