Special Education

Holly Ortego, Director

Special Education Goals and Purposes

• It is the goal of the Lafayette Parish School System to provide full educational opportunities to all students with disabilities and exceptionalities, ages 3-21, residing within its jurisdiction. LPSS also provides a free, appropriate public education to each eligible exceptional child, ages 3-21 residing within its jurisdiction.

Information about Special Education

• In October of 1990 the Education For All Handicapped Children Act was reauthorized and renamed Individuals with Disabilities Education Act which is now know known as IDEA.
• The Every Student Succeeds Act is a US law passed in December 2015 that governs the United States K–12 public education policy. The law replaced its predecessor, the No Child Left Behind Act, and modified but did not eliminate provisions relating to the periodic standardized tests given to students.
• A wide range of services for students with disabilities are available to elementary and secondary school age children.
• The LPSS Department of Special Education provides services to our students with gifted and talented exceptionalities.
• IDEA lists 13 different disability categories under which 3- through 21-year-olds may be eligible for services. The disability categories listed in IDEA are:
  autism
  deaf-blindness
  deafness
  emotional disturbance
  hearing impairment
  intellectual disability
  multiple disabilities
  orthopedic impairment
  other health impairment
  specific learning disability
  speech or language impairment
  traumatic brain injury
  visual impairment (including blindness)

Elementary and secondary programs utilize various organizational structures, including inclusion, self-contained classes, resource rooms, combination self-contained and itinerant services. Each self-contained class has one teacher and one or more assistants. Placement depends upon the disability and needs of the students and is determined by the IEP committee.