Published: April 15, 2026
By: Izzy Wollfarth, LSU Manship School News Service
BATON ROUGE – Who should carry the burden when children with disabilities are not receiving the services they are entitled to under the law?
Rep. Alonzo L. Knox, D-New Orleans, posed this question on the House floor Tuesday while presenting House Bill 342 that would require local education agencies to present proof of appropriate special education programming in the case of a dispute.
The bill advanced by a vote of 98-3.
The present law requires that the Department of Education, the Special School District and local education agencies comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a federal law ensuring that all children with disabilities are provided with free and appropriate public education that meets each child’s unique needs.
Knox’s bill does not create new standards or eligibility requirements for special programming but instead puts the responsibility on local education agencies rather than the parents of children with disabilities.
Read more at KATC.
LSU Manship School Statehouse Bureau 
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