BATON ROUGE — The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) will continue strengthening its systems for special education following a 2024 review conducted by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) through its Differentiated Monitoring and Support (DMS) process.

The review, which concluded in 2024, identified areas to further align state policies with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) while also recognizing Louisiana’s progress in strengthening its monitoring system in recent years.

“OSEP would like to acknowledge the efforts the LDOE has made to improve the State’s monitoring system over the last several years,” the report states, “including increasing staffing and in person monitoring activities, as well as careful attention to programmatic and fiscal management processes to ensure efficiency, compliance, and responsible stewardship of Federal funds.”

Differentiated Monitoring and Support Process

As part of this regular federal oversight process, OSEP reviews state policies, procedures, and implementation across four core components of general supervision: monitoring and improvement, data, fiscal management, and dispute resolution.

Louisiana’s Review

Federal monitoring routinely identifies corrective actions as part of strengthening IDEA implementation nationwide. Similar reviews conducted in other states and territories since 2024 identified an average of seven findings across approximately three components. Louisiana’s review identified five findings across two components. OSEP did not identify any findings in the core components of data or fiscal management.

The LDOE has already formally addressed and closed the one finding in the core component of monitoring and improvement. Internal corrective actions are underway for the remaining four findings in the core component of dispute resolution. The LDOE will bring proposed policy updates to an upcoming Special Education Advisory Panel (SEAP) and to the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) for approval.

“We appreciate the federal review and partnership with OSEP,” said Executive Director of Diverse Learners Dr. Lauren Wells. “We have made progress over the last few years, with only a few updates remaining. Our focus remains on ensuring high-quality services for students with disabilities and their families.”

Findings Overview

Below is a brief summary of each finding contained in the DMS report:

Monitoring and Improvement

Compliance Documentation (Closed): Louisiana’s one finding in monitoring and improvement has been closed. OSEP requested additional documentation demonstrating how the state verifies correction of noncompliance based on updated data. The LDOE provided documentation outlining its verification processes, and OSEP formally closed the finding.

Dispute Resolution

State Complaint Procedures: OSEP found that Louisiana’s complaint regulations and procedures were not fully aligned with certain IDEA requirements, including terminology updates (such as changing references from “local agency” to “public agency”), allowable extensions to the 60-day complaint timeline, and documentation of decisions. The LDOE is updating policies to remove routine school holidays as allowable timeline extensions, formalize tracking and verification of corrective actions, and ensure the Early Resolution Process (designed to give families and school systems an opportunity to resolve concerns collaboratively) is voluntary and does not delay the 60-day investigation timeline.

Mediator Contracting Process: OSEP found that Louisiana did not have documented procedures to ensure state-contracted mediators are knowledgeable in laws and regulations relating to special education and related services. The LDOE is implementing mediator training and formalizing oversight procedures, with legal oversight supported through IDEA funding.

Separate Confidentiality Agreement: OSEP found that Louisiana’s practice of requiring parties to sign a separate confidentiality agreement prior to mediation was inconsistent with IDEA requirements. The LDOE is updating forms and procedures and has directed mediators to discontinue that practice while maintaining IDEA-required confidentiality protections.

Due Process: OSEP found that certain written due process complaint and hearing procedures required updates to fully align with IDEA requirements, including terminology updates (such as changing references from “local agency” to “public agency”) and documentation of how hearing decisions are issued and implemented. The model due process complaint form item has been closed, and the LDOE is revising policy language, strengthening tracking and monitoring procedures, and providing training to support the timely issuance and implementation of hearing decisions.