Shared special education services coming to some New Orleans schools this fall

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 st