This article was written and published by — June 2nd, 2025
Six charter school operators this fall will receive a range of services for students with disabilities through an education service agency, including assistive technology and other devices, shared staff and training.
(TNS) — This fall a handful of New Orleans schools will have access to centralized special education services, the first step in an effort to help autonomous charter schools join forces to serve students with disabilities.
The new program will provide participating schools with shared special education technology, services and training. Six charter school operators have signed up to participate in the program’s pilot year: Audubon Schools, Ben Franklin Elementary School, Hynes Charter School, Morris Jeff Community School, Young Audiences Charter School and Willow School, district officials said.
The first of its kind in the district, the opt-in program will be run by an “education service agency,” a public entity authorized by law to coordinate and provide services. The governance model is still being worked out, but eventually an advisory board made up of representatives from the participating schools will oversee the program.
The model is meant to make it easier for smaller and single-site charter schools to provide students with disabilities a range of specialized services, which can be financially and logistically challenging, and equalize special education access across the district.
“This is the next frontier of innovation and transformation for our school system,” said Jennifer Coco, interim executive director of the Center for Learner Equity, a national nonprofit that focuses on special education and has collaborated with NOLA Public Schools to study potential solutions.
PILOT OFFERINGS
New Orleans has long struggled to effectively provide services for students with special needs. Fifteen years ago, a group of students sued the Louisiana Department of Education alleging they were discriminated against because of their disabilities.
Board member Carlos Zervigon said that since the decentralized charter school system took hold after Hurricane Katrina, some schools have struggled to provide necessary services for all students with disabilities, especially those with rarely occurring or highly demanding special needs.
“The smaller the CMO, the harder it was for them to meet the special ed service,” Zervigon said.
The district won grants to study the problem and explore possible solutions, including a central hub for special education services. The aim was to increase coordination, efficiency and service quality, Zervigon said.
A few years ago, the Center for Learner Equity, a national nonprofit that promotes high-quality special education, began meeting with district and school leaders to explore the idea of a centralized service model. A report the organization published in August found that about three-fourths of the 30 charter school leaders interviewed for the report supported centralizing some parts of special education.
The Booth-Bricker Fund, a nonprofit foundation, pledged $100,000 to cover start-up costs, Coco said. Each participating school will pay an annual $14,500 membership fee, plus more for using specific services.
Initially 80 percent of the program will be funded through schools and 20 percent though philanthropic donations. As more schools participate over the next three years, the program will be fully supported by schools.
The program will allow schools to access a technology library, shared staff and other resources including training for staff. Schools will be able to borrow assistive technology, such as communication devices for non-verbal children that allow them to ask for things like water or the bathroom, giving them “a literal voice,” Coco said.
Sharing devices will save schools money, Coco said. The program will also provide training so schools don’t have to “navigate on their own ‘How do I use this and how do I use it well?” she added.
The pilot also will include a team of professionals who will rotate among participating schools, which will be billed based on the services they use. The team will include a physical education teacher trained to help students develop gross motor skills, an audiologist who will help with hearing-impaired students and someone trained to help visually impaired students develop mobility skills. Occupational therapists and American Sign Language professionals also will be available.
The initiative has also begun building a database of special education plans, which can often get lost if a student transfers schools, requiring schools and students to start from scratch. The database will initially include just Section 504 plans, which are documents that outline necessary modifications and accommodations for students with disabilities. Schools will also have access to shared professional development.
“We hope this will be a sustainable model that enables schools to provide services at a depth and quality that actually puts students first,” Coco said.
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