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Read. Follow. Verify.Kansas Legislature considers bill to authorize private applied behavior analysis in public schools for students with autism
Last action · April 10, 2026: Died on Calendar
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What This Bill Proposed
Senate Bill 441 enacts the services in school act, prohibiting school districts from barring private providers from delivering medically necessary behavioral health services during school hours for students with autism when requested by a parent. The measure requires private providers to undergo state and national criminal history record checks, maintain general liability insurance up to $1,000,000, and comply with student privacy laws and individualized plans. School districts must adopt public policies to implement the act, while parents or third-party payors bear the sole cost of these private services.
Establishes a statutory framework governing whether outside health professionals can enter public school classrooms to deliver specialized therapy, dictating liability limits, insurance requirements, and background check mandates for private contractors.
- Applied behavior analysis is a widely recognized clinical therapy frequently prescribed for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. context
- The federal Americans with Disabilities Act and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act govern school district obligations regarding students with disabilities. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Students with autism spectrum disorder
Students diagnosed with autism are permitted to receive medically necessary behavioral health services from private providers on school property during school hours.
School districts
School districts must adopt implementation policies, evaluate parent requests for private providers, conduct background check submissions, and grant building access unless undue hardship applies.
Private behavioral health providers
Private providers must undergo fingerprinting, obtain criminal history record checks, maintain general liability insurance, and comply with student privacy laws to operate on school grounds.
Parents and third-party payors
Parents bear the financial responsibility for private services and must submit evaluations, treatment plans, and release authorizations to the school district.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who pays for the applied behavior analysis services delivered by a private provider at school?
Can a school district force a student to use a school-employed therapist instead of a private provider chosen by the family?
What background check requirements apply to private providers working in schools?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died in committee.
Procedural history
7 actions- Apr 10, 2026SenateDied on Calendar
- Mar 10, 2026SenateFloorCommittee Report recommending bill be passed by
- Feb 25, 2026SenateHearing: Wednesday, February 25, 2026, 1:30 PM — Room 144-S
- Feb 24, 2026SenateWithdrawn from Senate Committee on Education; Rereferred to Senate Committee on Education
- Feb 19, 2026SenateWithdrawn from Senate Committee on Ways and Means; Referred to Senate Committee on Ways and Means
- Feb 3, 2026SenateCommitteeReferred to Senate Committee on Education
Show 1 earlier action
- Feb 2, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Integration of Private Medical Providers in Public Classrooms
The bill establishes a formal statutory mechanism requiring public school districts to accommodate private healthcare providers during instructional hours under specific regulatory conditions.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.kslegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy55Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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