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Louisiana saw 14 percent increase in vaccinations first week after lottery was announced
The number of Louisiana residents choosing to get a COVID-19 vaccine increased by 14% the week after Gov. John Bel Edwards introduced the Shot At a Million lottery program, Joe Kanter, the state’s chief medical officer, said in an interview with the Illuminator Tuesday. The $1 million lottery was the latest incentive program from the […]
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry opposes schools interpreting Title IX to protect against LGBTQ discrimination
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry joined 20 other attorneys general in sending a letter to President Joe Biden expressing their opposition to the U.S. Department of Education’s interpretation of Title IX to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ people. Title IX is a federal law passed in the 1970s that seeks to protect from sex discrimination anyone […]
Jefferson Parish School Board reaches settlements in two lawsuits over BB gun suspensions
The Jefferson Parish School Board reached a financial settlement with the families of two boys who were suspended for displaying BB guns during virtual classroom instruction and suspended by school officials who accused them of possessing a weapon on school property. The board’s decision to suspend the boys led to local and national outrage from […]
LSU to handle Title IX cases ‘from a trauma-informed perspective,’ new President William Tate says
On his first day on the job, new LSU President William Tate spoke Tuesday about the sexual misconduct scandal that has led to lawsuits against the university and a tarnished image. Tate, who said he wants the university to handle Title IX cases “from a trauma-informed perspective,” promised to look at the policies President Tom […]
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards vetoes bills related to vaccines, emergency powers and elections
Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Friday that he vetoed 28 of the 505 bills the Louisiana Legislature sent him during the 2021 legislative session. That number includes the construction bill because Edwards used a line-item veto for some projects lawmakers approved. The Legislature can override any of the governor’s vetoes with a two-thirds vote in […]
St. Tammany Parish school system promises to conduct a review of its special education services
Javanda May, a Slidell mother, said her 9th grade son struggled transitioning to virtual learning when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. May’s son was supposed to receive accommodations for his attention deficit disorder — including text-to-speech accommodations, small group instruction and mental health services, but “pretty much none of his accommodations from his IEP were implemented,” […]
Southern University in Baton Rouge is ‘falling into the river’ and needs $32 million to stop erosion
Maurice Pitts, the director of facilities at Southern University in Baton Rouge wanted to make it clear Monday that what he was saying about the campus’ worsening erosion problem is “no exaggeration.” The campus, situated on the Mississippi River is “falling into the river,” Pitts said. “It has become a safety hazard.” Much of the […]
Pay raises for Southern and UL system’s faculty and staff coming this year
Faculty and staff in the Southern University System will soon receive a 4 percent raise, Janene Tate, a spokesperson for the system said Monday. Raises will go into effect starting Thursday for Southern University at Baton Rouge, but Tate said she isn’t sure when raises will go into effect at the other Southern University campuses. […]
University of Louisiana system makes masks optional for the fall semester
Masks will be optional this fall for students in colleges in the University of Louisiana system, and unvaccinated students, faculty or staff “will be encouraged to do routine testing.” UL System colleges are back to offering in-person courses and campus tours, and even held their first in-person Board of Supervisors meeting Thursday. “The hope and […]
UL System college athletes will soon be allowed to enter into sponsorship deals
Despite being the only basketball player in NCAA history to record multiple games with at least 10 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals in her college career, Grambling State University alumna Shakyla Hill made nothing in endorsements or advertisement deals due to the NCAA’s amateur-status rules forbidding it. “That young woman deserved the […]
LSU tears down New Orleans school building despite taxpayer-funded renovation
Despite objections from preservationist groups, LSU has moved ahead with demolishing McDonogh No. 11, a 142-year-old New Orleans elementary school that has undergone millions of dollars of publicly-funded renovation and moving. The LSU Health Science Center, which bought the building to make room for the University Medical Center, will build a clinic where McDonogh 11 […]
Louisiana ranks 48th in overall child well-being, a report finds
Louisiana children rank near the bottom of the country in overall well-being, according to the latest Kids Count Data Book report, published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The report “describes how children across the United States were faring before… the coronavirus pandemic,” as the latest available data used was from 2019. States’ rankings are […]