‘Fail safe’ proposed for Louisiana colleges students in mental health crisis

by Piper Hutchinson, Louisiana Illuminator
May 7, 2025

The Louisiana Legislature is advancing a measure that would allow colleges and universities to contact the parents of students experiencing a mental health crisis. 

House Bill 202 by Rep. Delisha Boyd, D-New Orleans, would require colleges and universities to offer privacy waivers to students that would allow the schools to contact a pre-designated person in the case of a mental health crisis or situation in which the student poses a risk to themselves or other. 

The measure is necessary because colleges are currently not able to contact parents under privacy laws that protect adult students, Boyd said. Students would be given the option to fill out the waiver. 

Legislators on the House Committee on Education described the proposal Wednesday as  a “fail safe.” It comes on the heels of several high-profile deaths on college campuses. 

“Just recently, we had a student at Xavier University that committed suicide about a month ago,” Boyd told the committee. “Imagine if someone had paid attention to the change in attitude, the personality or what have you, it could have ended in a different way.” 

Boyd’s bill will next be discussed on the House floor.

Louisiana Illuminator is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Louisiana Illuminator maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Greg LaRose for questions: info@lailluminator.com.

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Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

The content provides an objective report on Louisiana’s House Bill 202, which is aimed at addressing mental health crises among college students. It does not exhibit a clear ideological stance but instead reports on the legislative process and the perspectives of those involved, including Rep. Delisha Boyd and legislators on the House Committee on Education. The language used is factual and neutral, with a focus on the bill’s proposed actions and its potential impact. The framing highlights the necessity of the bill without leaning toward a particular political or ideological viewpoint.