§ 17:1945 — Special Schools and school districts

§1945. Special Schools and school districts
A.(1) The Special School District is hereby created and shall be considered an
educational service agency, subject to the limitations of such units which shall include no
authority to levy tax. The Special School District shall have the responsibility and authority
to create and fill positions to serve the students in the district subject to the availability of
funds.
(2) The governing authority for the Special School District shall be the board of
directors as provided in R.S. 17:1945.1.
(3) The Special School District includes:
(a) Louisiana Special Schools.
(b) Special School Programs.
(4) The services of the Special School District shall be available to all eligible
students as described in this Section, regardless of their place of residence within the state.
B.(1) The Louisiana Schools for the Deaf and Visually Impaired, referred to as
Louisiana Special Schools, are residential schools established to provide such academic,
vocational, and other related services as may be required.
(2) The Louisiana Schools for the Deaf and Visually Impaired shall, at the request
of the parent or legal or appointed custodian, enroll students with low incidence disabilities
and students eligible under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act who require
special education services upon their admission into state facilities in which the Special
School District provides special education services. For purposes of this Subsection, the
term "students with low incidence disabilities" means students who have a visual
impairment, who are deaf or hard of hearing, who both have a visual impairment and are deaf
or hard of hearing, who have a significant cognitive impairment, or who have any
impairment for which personnel with highly specialized skills and knowledge are needed in
order for a child with such an impairment to receive early intervention services or a free
appropriate public education.
(3) The Louisiana Special Schools may share services and functions, including but
not limited to fiscal, human resources, maintenance, security, physical plant, food,
transportation, admissions, diagnostics, and health services, to the extent that sharing such
services and functions is not in conflict with federal laws and rules applicable to the
education of students with exceptionalities.
C.(1) Special School Programs shall be established to provide:
(a) Special education and related services to any eligible student with
exceptionalities who is in any state-operated facility that provides only a general education
program.
(b) Appropriate educational services to any eligible student in a state-operated
facility that does not provide an educational program.
(2) Special School Programs may provide appropriate educational services at
facilities where public agencies place students who are in the care or custody of the public
agency or students whose education is the responsibility of the public agency.
(3) Special School Programs may provide the services authorized in this Section to
students until their twenty-fifth birthday and may provide the services authorized in this
Section to students regardless of age, pursuant to an agreement between Special School
Programs and the facility or the public agency that placed the student.
(4), (5) Repealed by Acts 2012, No. 441, §3.

Legislative History

Acts 1977, No. 754, §1. Amended by Acts 1980, No. 258, §1, eff. June 30, 1980; Acts 1992, No. 458, §1, eff. June 20, 1992; Acts 1998, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 109, §1, eff. May 5, 1998; Acts 2008, No. 376, §1; Acts 2010, No. 325, §1; Acts 2012, No. 441, §§1, 3; Acts 2019, No. 411, §1, eff. June 20, 2019; Acts 2021, No. 468, §1, eff. July 1, 2021.