蜜桃传媒

CHALMETTE, La.聽鈥� St. Bernard Parish Public Schools routinely violate the rights of students with disabilities by placing them in a punitive alternative school setting without the appropriate accommodations and education services to meet their needs, according to a聽lawsuit聽filed today by the聽聽(蜜桃传媒) and the聽.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, was brought on behalf of two students with multiple disabilities who have languished in the district鈥檚 alternative school for years, in violation of their due process and disability rights.

Federal and state laws require school districts to educate students with disabilities in the most integrated setting appropriate to meet their needs. However, St. Bernard Parish Public Schools use punitive discipline practices that force students with disabilities into the alternative school where they remain indefinitely 鈥� resulting in an expulsion, as defined by state law.

鈥淭he policies and practices of St. Bernard Parish Public Schools create a separate and unequal system where Black students and students with disabilities, forced into the alternative school, are segregated and deprived of the education services and activities afforded in traditional school settings,鈥� said Ashley Dalton, an attorney for the 蜜桃传媒鈥檚 children鈥檚 rights practice group. 鈥淲e are bringing this suit to put an end to the practice.鈥�

鈥淚t is time for St. Bernard Parish to fix this broken and illegal alternative school system,鈥� said Hector Linares, a professor with the Loyola Law Clinic. 鈥淪t. Bernard Parish 鈥� and other, similar districts in Louisiana 鈥� must reform their systems to provide all youth the opportunity to experience academic and personal growth alongside their peers.鈥�

The lawsuit seeks a court order requiring the district to comply with federal and state laws regarding students with disabilities and enforce the due process rights of students.

The complaint can be found聽HERE.