Schools in Louisiana’s juvenile halls routinely close for weeks, often because they don’t provide enough credits for students to complete their grades and they don’t keep good records. , many children repeat grades and are forced to drop out of school at a much higher rate. in the community, according to a new report released by the Louisiana Children’s Rights Center.

A report released Monday details a range of problems experienced by juvenile detainees at facilities run by the state’s Juvenile Justice Department and offers suggestions for improvements. But LCCR representatives say irreparable damage has already been done and must be addressed to help current and future students.

The study’s authors also pointed to the failure of the system to provide special education services, the courses required to obtain a state diploma, and early childhood jobs that are assessed solely on participation.

April Leggett told Lens that her son had been held at the Acadiana Youth Center in Bankie for three years. Although he is her 19th grade and her 11th grade, Leggett tells her that his work often consists of simple packets of material and that teachers rarely give him guidance. Is called. According to Leggett, he has little interest in helping his teacher when he’s around.

According to an August report by The Advocate, which reviewed hundreds of incident reports from 2021, schools at the Acadiana Youth Center in Bankie suffered from staff shortages, internet problems, or things “getting out of hand.” I found that it was frequently canceled days at a time because of ”

Her son also has an individualized education plan, commonly known as an IEP. But she says she rarely meets with special education instructors, despite regular assurances from OJJ. (Another agency, the Louisiana Special School District, is responsible for special education services in state detention facilities. A spokesperson for the special school district did not respond to a request for comment.)

“They keep telling him they’re going to help him, but they’re not doing what they said they were going to do,” Leggett said. ”

LCCR’s Alison Zimmer said OJJ does not routinely provide adequate support to students.

“They would go home and find out that their grades were wrong, that they had taken a class that they weren’t really prepared for, that they didn’t have the prerequisites to take, or that they got straight A’s. I realized I hadn’t really prepared for it, I couldn’t pass the standardized tests I had to pass in order to graduate,” she said last week in an interview with Lens. rice field.

“These kids often do really well in the care of OJJs and they are doing everything they are supposed to do. And I know the reports are being rolled out in detail, but it’s often not delivered on a regular basis and it’s very common for them to be shut down. Go and join when given the opportunity, and yet they’ve gone and maybe only passed a credit or two, but because of how the credit system works in the community, We often have to start the year over.”

OJJ children reported problems with their transcripts. This is also an issue in the New Orleans public school system. Students were often offered the wrong course or the same course over and over again, neither of which helped them obtain their diplomas, the report said. of students say they are assigned courses based on dormitory assignments rather than required courses.

Reports show that graduation rates at OJJ facilities are significantly lower than state averages. Students said they were routinely punished with school closures due to fights and other incidents by other detainees.

Inadequate special education services

Juvenile prisons, like all local educational institutions (or LEAs), are required to provide special education services to students with disabilities as required by federal law. Special education in juvenile facilities belongs to a special school district.

“Louisiana appears to be one of the few states, and possibly the only state, that divides general education and special education responsibilities between two institutions,” the report said.

This report contains examples of students, including a student named Dante who obtained an IEP and was incarcerated at the Acadiana Youth Center in St. Martinville for three months. For several months after opening last year, there was no education service throughout the facility.

“Dante had an IEP eligible for multiple one-on-one lessons per week and one 30-minute weekly individualized school-based counseling service, but he received neither of those services. did not,” the report said.

Students in OJJ facilities are much more likely to be black and more likely to be viewed as economically disadvantaged than the statewide student population. Additionally, 20 to 50 percent of these children have learning and behavioral disabilities that qualify them for special education services, according to the report.

OJJ facilities should provide these services, but the experience of students like Dante leaves questions about how often they are adequately provided.

“Juvenile prisons cannot change a child’s IEP simply because they lack resources or staff,” the report said.

While special school districts are responsible for providing special education services to students at OJJ facilities, the Louisiana Department of Education is responsible for overseeing school districts and ensuring that those services are provided. When asked how the LDOE will ensure the provision of special education services, spokesman Ted Beasely did not provide further details.

“As required by federal and state law, the LDOE has a number of active and passive compliance regulations and regulations to fulfill its responsibilities to assist, support, oversee, monitor, and enforce compliance with IDEA and state law. We are taking steps,” he wrote. email of the week.

In addition, students who miss the special education services required by the IEP are entitled to remedial services and time. This is called “compensatory services” in the world of special education.

“The Indemnification Service is a legal remedy available if the LEA fails to comply with the IDEA’s procedural or substantive requirements and must be undertaken by the LEA and the parent or third party decision maker on a case-by-case basis. there is,” Beasely wrote.

The State Department of Education measures and evaluates schools based on performance. OJJ schools are considered to require a “comprehensive intervention”.

Department oversight questions

According to the survey, OJJ does not have access to support, including additional technology, provided by the Louisiana Department of Education. Additionally, the ministry provided few responses to some concerns raised by supporters, such as the inability to track attendance and discipline at the facility. ” is classified as necessary. It is designated for schools with significantly lower test scores among specific subgroups of students.

Zimmer hears those complaints.

“Teachers repeatedly said, ‘We don’t have the skills we need, we don’t have the books we need, we don’t have the materials we need.’ In OJJ schools, it was about double the state average, so I think that’s part of it and a lot of the money goes into administration,” she said. “I’m afraid it’s not being used to fund the materials we need.

She said it is common for children to be unable to log on to class due to Internet problems.

“There seems to be some old infrastructure and a lot of technology (as far as it goes) at these OJJ facilities, especially since OJJ relies on distance learning.”

Reports claim the LDOE does not track attendance or discipline at OJJ facilities. When asked about these two claims of hers, the state provided a negative response and only catered to students with disabilities.

“LDOE regulations require OJJs to report SWD attendance and grades like all other LEAs/districts,” Beasely wrote.

Regarding attendance, he said: I asked them to report their attendance based on which students come to class. ”

One interviewee in the report claimed that the OJJ facility did not use Tier 1, the highest quality curriculum. But as of the latest legislative report, Beasley said the OJJ facility uses Tier 1 materials.

Angola plan

Meanwhile, proponents say the state’s plan to move about 20 children in custody to facilities on campus in Angola, which a federal judge ruled last week may move forward, makes matters worse. I am afraid that it is possible.

Governor John Bell Edwards announced plans to transfer some youth to Angola in July following a series of incidents at Bridge City Center for Youth in Jefferson Parish. According to OJJ, it provides a temporary program for detained children with the most serious behavioral problems.

But civil rights attorneys participating in class action lawsuits trying to block the transfer said they had enough space for an all-new facility, especially one in a remote location, given their office staffing issues. They claim that they need to find a number of teachers, tutors, and special education instructors. State — Impossible.

They also noted that since the TTU program only accommodates students temporarily, it is designed to last only a few weeks before the child is returned to another facility, so it is difficult for the administration to provide an IEP to the student. He claims it will be difficult to continue. Special services such as psychologists, speech therapists, and occupational therapists are needed.

“The defendant’s plan is for the students to spend about four weeks in institutions in Angola, so the population will have different rights to different students with different disabilities and legally mandated disabled accommodation. are ever-changing,” they wrote.

OJJ officials told the court that the children at the Angolan institution they named Bridge City Center for Youth in West Feliciana received the same education as other children under OJJ’s care and, in fact, had teachers and students. ratio is higher than other facilities. Additionally, the facility will be assigned two special education teachers, he said, to meet the individual requirements of the IEP.

But they also admitted at a court hearing earlier this month that many of those positions had not yet been filled. It argued that there was no evidence that the United States had sufficient numbers of special education-certified teachers, tutors, and/or providers of special education “related services” to meet the educational needs of children. majority of students with disabilities. ”

Those discussions were inadequate. In a ruling last Friday, U.S. District Judge Sherri Dick of Baton Rouge said she had reservations about the plan but said there was not enough evidence to show that education and special education services would not be provided.

“The court has determined that BCCY-WF youth are provided uninterrupted education, including special education, in accordance with the requirements of federal and state law,” she wrote.

It is not yet clear when the children will be moved to the institution now that Dick has allowed the plan to move forward. But he also acknowledged that much work still needs to be done to get the facility ready, including hiring staff.

“For security reasons, we are not releasing any specific information regarding transfer timeframes at this time,” an agency spokesperson told Lens in an email. We will notify the media once the group safely reaches the temporary facility in West Feliciana.”

Staff writer Marta Juusson contributed to this story.