A federal judge says that objections filed under seal to a proposed settlement in a lawsuit involving special education in New Orleans public schools need to be addressed before the deal can be finalized, according to the Associated Press.
The settlement stems from a 2010 complaint claiming that New Orleans’ public schools post-Hurricane Katrina discriminated against students with disabilities. One specific issue was how special education was handled as New Orleans’ educational system splintered into charter schools. Part of the settlement agreement, which was reached in December, deals specifically with charters by requiring changes to the charter-renewal process to make sure all charters are ready to serve students with disabilities.
The U.S. district court judge in New Orleans did not go into details, reports the Associated Press, but said there were some “disturbing scenarios” outlined in the objections to the settlement.
Judge Jay Zainey said lawyers need to reach out to out to parents and school officials to deal with the issues before a settlement hearing set for Monday evening.