A recent report found Louisiana’s Department of Education (LDOE) does not monitor the use of seclusion and restraint because they are not required to do so. And Meredith Jordan, Louisiana’s head of special education, says there were no findings of wrongdoing..
As Aubri Juhasz with Louisiana Public Radio reports, the audit is the third to focus on pervasive problems with special education in the state. Hundreds of students with disabilities are secluded or restrained at school each year according to data schools self-report. And auditors say that’s likely an undercount.
Karen Tantzen’s then eight-year-old son, who has autism, was restrained at his public school back in 2019. “Four women had pinned him down to the ground at one point. Tantzen says she only learned the details after she filed a public records request. She says the audit highlights problems she knows well that state law is supposed to protect against. “To be honest, I’m not sure if anybody other than the special needs community is going to care.”
Tantzen immediately pulled both of her children out of public school after he son was restrained. Now she homeschools. She says other parents can’t and she worries about their kids. Education department officials told auditors they don’t have the legal authority or enough staff to monitor schools. But auditors argue it’s within their right and that they’re choosing not to.
Other findings from the audit, regarding abuse and mistreatment, found that allegations committed by school personnel still may not be reported as required by state law. Unlike other states, Louisiana does not have a process to ensure teachers who abuse, improperly use seclusion or restraint, or otherwise mistreat students have their certification sanctioned if they have not been criminally convicted.
On the subject of available resources, the audit states that the legislature provided the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) $8.8 million in state general funds for school systems to install and maintain cameras in self-contained special education classrooms. As of August 2024, according to LDOE, 66 (39.8%) of the 166 school systems installed cameras using $2.8 million (31.8%) of the $8.8 million provided.
Auditors concluded that “this report contained 11 recommendations, and LDOE agreed with four, partially agreed with three, neither agreed or disagreed with two, and disagreed with two. The report also included eight matters for legislative consideration. The full report, including management’s response, can be viewed at the Louisiana Legislative Auditor website at: lla.la.gov.
