Act 479, which the state Legislature passed in 2025, requires public schools to put at least one camera in each classroom where most students receive special education services for at least half of the day. Feb. 1 was the deadline for school districts to install the devices.
Families will be able to request footage if they believe their child has been abused or neglected while in the school’s care.
The push for classroom cameras began after a St. Tammany Parish parent said her nonverbal 5-year-old son was verbally and physically abused by school staffers.
The family sued the school district and worked with lawmakers to introduce legislation in 2022 requiring districts to install cameras in special education classrooms if a parent requested them.
However, some parents said their requests were denied or schools took longer to respond than the legislation allowed, said Ashley McReynolds, program director at The Arc of Louisiana, an organization that advocates for people with disabilities.
Now, the new law requires cameras in all special education classrooms, regardless of whether parents request them.
“There was no reason for districts to be denying parental requests,” McReynolds said, “so we came back with a solid mandate.”
Schools have had since June to put up the cameras. They were able to tap $8 million in state funds provided by the 2022 law.
Even before the new law passed, some districts already taken the initiative to place cameras in every special education classroom even without parental requests, McReynolds said. Others just recently completed the installations. Around 1,600 classrooms across the state were expected to need the devices.
Jefferson Parish Schools spent $4 million on installing cameras in 300 of its classrooms, a district spokesperson told Verite News. New Orleans spent $514,000 on cameras throughout its 66 charter schools, a NOLA Public Schools spokesperson said.
WHAT DOES THE LAW REQUIRE?
All Louisiana public schools, including charter schools, must install at least one microphone-equipped camera in every special education classroom that is required to be recording at all times.
Each district must establish its own camera policies, including how to protect students’ privacy and who can access the recording and under what circumstances. School systems must submit their policies to the state education department.
The law prohibits cameras from being placed inside restrooms or any areas where students may change or remove clothing. Schools are required to hold onto the footage for 30 days, and administrators must let parents know if a camera is expected to be out of commission for more than two consecutive days.
WHO WILL MONITOR THE CAMERAS?
The law doesn’t require that the cameras be constantly monitored, but says each school’s principal or other governing authority must “verify periodically” that the cameras are working.
HOW WILL THE FOOTAGE BE USED?
Only superintendents or their designees, a student's legal guardian or law enforcement can request to view recordings.
School districts get to determine under what circumstances parents can request the footage. For example in Plaquemines Parish, eligible parties can ask to see the footage when they suspect a student has been neglected or abused, physically or sexually, including by a district employee.
Anyone who watches the footage and suspects it shows violations of state or federal law is required to report the incident to the appropriate agency.
Without actually sharing the footage with staff members, school administrators could potentially incorporate lessons learned from recorded incidents into staff training, said McReynolds.
Cameras “open up an opportunity for education and additional professional development around deescalation techniques and behavior intervention strategies,” she said.
WHAT ELSE DOES ACT 479 REQUIRE?
The law goes far beyond requiring classroom cameras.
It also mandates that school employees file detailed incident reports whenever a child with disabilities is restrained, bans the use of “mechanical restraints” such as straps and handcuffs, and requires that a school nurse or other qualified employee visit with any student who has been secluded.
School staffers also must be trained in how to deescalate conflicts, determine when students are at risk of harming themselves or others and how to safely restrain students.
Rep. Shane Mack, R-Livingston, who authored the bill, said the aim is to ensure that there are “good policies and procedures” in place to protect some of Louisiana’s most vulnerable students.
“As a parent,” he said, “you just love your children more than anything in life and want what’s best for them.”
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