Why Keeping TDT in Schools is Necessary

1. For the Kids Receiving It

Students in TDT have the most intensive emotional and behavioral needs that go far beyond what general school staff are trained to manage. Without immediate, daily, school-based therapeutic support, these students are at higher risk of academic failure, suspensions, or being placed in restrictive settings.

School-based TDT eliminates barriers like transportation, scheduling conflicts, and stigma—meaning students actually receive consistent care rather than falling through the cracks.

2. For Other Students

When TDT students get targeted interventions, the classroom environment is calmer, safer, and more focused, which directly benefits peers.

Preventing and supporting crises in real time reduces disruptions, exposure to unsafe incidents, minimizes trauma exposure for other students, and supports uninterrupted learning for the whole classroom.

3. For the School System

Teachers are not mental health providers. They are not trained or resourced to handle clinical-level behavioral health needs. School administration is stretched thin and cannot be addressing every child in crisis and not every behavior necessitates disciplinary action. Without TDT, these demands shift onto staff who are already overstretched and under prepared, accelerating burnout and turnover.

TDT reduces costly disciplinary actions, alternative placements, and dropout risks. It allows schools to stabilize students within their home community rather than relying on expensive, less effective out-of-school options. 

By stabilizing students within their home school, TDT supports inclusion and helps schools meet both academic and behavioral accountability standards

4. Financial Impact

If TDT is removed from schools, many students will need services elsewhere. Those costs will shift to CSA funds and local school budgets—both of which are already strained.

Out-of-school placements or intensive private services are significantly more expensive than keeping a student supported within their school. For example: Private day schools or residential placements can cost 3–5 times more than school-based TDT.

Schools may be forced to fund additional 1:1 aides, alternative placements, or costly disciplinary processes without TDT in place.

Ultimately, removing TDT doesn’t reduce costs—it transfers them to more expensive systems, draining funds from education and CSA that could otherwise serve a broader pool of children.

Bottom line: Keeping TDT in schools is not only the most effective clinical option—it’s also the most financially responsible. It prevents schools and CSA from shouldering higher, long-term costs while protecting the highest needs students in the system. Removing TDT doesn’t just affect the individual student—it destabilizes classrooms, increases teacher burnout, and places schools at higher risk of failure in serving all students. Keeping TDT in schools ensures kids with the highest needs are supported, peers can learn in a safer environment, and educators can focus on teaching