Provides for blood pressure testing in schools. (8/1/26) (OR INCREASE LF EX See Note)

Senate Bill 206 amends Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:2112(A) and 3996(A)(10) to add blood pressure testing as a required health screening in Louisiana public schools. The bill modifies the existing vision and hearing testing mandate by requiring every city, parish, and local public school board to test the blood pressure of each pupil during the first semester of the school year or within thirty days after late admission, following the American Academy of Pediatrics schedule. The amendment extends all related administrative requirements to blood pressure testing, including record-keeping, sixty-day follow-up on identified deficiencies, and written parental notification for pupils found to have abnormal blood pressure, mirroring the existing procedures for vision and hearing defects.

School boards will bear the administrative and operational responsibility for conducting blood pressure screenings alongside existing vision and hearing tests, maintaining records of results, and notifying parents of any abnormal findings within the specified timeframe. Charter schools operating in Louisiana are brought into compliance with the same blood pressure testing requirements that apply to traditional public schools, eliminating any exemption that might otherwise exist under charter school authorization. Parents and guardians retain the right to object to such examinations under existing provisions of R.S. 17:156, allowing them to decline blood pressure testing just as they may decline vision and hearing screenings.

This legislation operates within Louisiana's existing framework for mandatory health screenings in schools, codified in R.S. 17:2112, which has long required vision and hearing examinations. The amendment integrates blood pressure testing into this established statutory system without creating new enforcement mechanisms or regulatory structures. Charter schools remain subject to state requirements under the provisions of Chapter 39-B of Title 17, and the modification ensures uniform application of health screening standards across all public school settings. The effective date of August 1, 2026 allows school boards time to implement procedures and coordinate screening schedules with the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines.