Student's First.

This week the District welcomed back teachers at our Back to School Celebration and breakfast event. We were joined by SSD Board of Directors President, Sandy Holloway and Bernell Cook, Louisiana State Director of Education, who each gave inspiring words of encouragement to teachers and staff.

The message of the morning was clear from the matching T-shirts worn by attendees to the thoughtful remarks shared by our guest speakers. Every part of the event reflected our commitment to putting students at the center of everything we do at SSD.

We extend our sincere appreciation to Sandy Holloway, SSD Board President, and Bernell Cook, Louisiana State Director of Education, for sharing their insights and encouragement as we begin a new school year. Together, we are building a future where every student has the opportunity to thrive.

We would like to congratulate Ms. Alisha Butler for her selection as the 2027 Louisiana Teacher of the Year. The Louisiana Department of Education in partnership with Dream Teachers, honors the state’s most outstanding educators each year. This weekend, they announced Ms. Butler as the 2027 honoree.

Ms. Butler teaches dual enrollment English and intermediate Braille at the Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired (LSVI) in Baton Rouge, where she designs instruction and has also worked as an instructional coach, school testing coordinator, and technology coordinator. Butler is a certified Teacher of the Visually Impaired and holds the National Certification in Unified English Braille, one of fewer than 500 educators nationwide to earn this designation.

🎉 Congratulations Ms. Butler! 🎉

The Board of Directors of the Louisiana Special School District has called an Emergency Meeting to be held at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.

Location: 2888 Brightside Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70820
Student Center Board Room

Information concerning remote participation in the meeting is included in the meeting agenda. To see the agenda on our website as a PDF visit the following link:
https://files-backend.assets.thrillshare.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/4654/Lss/6eb4b569-8ebc-4572-ba81-eee47dd5adf3/SSD-Meeting-Agenda-6.2.26-%28FINAL-6.1.26%29.pdf?disposition=inline

The Board of Directors of the Louisiana Special School District has called an Emergency Meeting to be held at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.

Location: 2888 Brightside Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70820
Student Center Board Room

Information concerning remote participation in the meeting is included in the meeting agenda. To see the agenda on our website as a PDF visit the following link:
https://files-backend.assets.thrillshare.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/4654/Lss/6eb4b569-8ebc-4572-ba81-eee47dd5adf3/SSD-Meeting-Agenda-6.2.26-%28FINAL-6.1.26%29.pdf?disposition=inline

PUBLIC NOTICE:
Upcoming Board of Directors Meeting - Agenda Posted

The SSD Board of Directors will hold a meeting on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, at 9:00 a.m.

Location: 2888 Brightside Dr.
Baton Rouge, LA 70820
Student Center Board Room

For those unable to attend in person, the meeting will be streamed on SSD's YouTube Channel at the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/live/UPICDAoCGLI

To view the agenda on our website as a PDF visit the following link:
https://files-backend.assets.thrillshare.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/4654/Lss/c34a6553-aa32-4cb2-bb5b-3bb5136541d2/SSD-Meeting-Agenda-1.13.26.pdf?disposition=inline

Trunk or Treat at LSDVI

Our Trunk or Treat Event is here to add a dash of magic and a whole lot of treats to the LSDVI students.

Email Angela.Grevious@swe.la.gov to reserve your spot to hand out candy.

Date and Time:
Thursday,, October 30, 2025; 6-7:30pm

PUBLIC NOTICE:

Upcoming Meeting Announcement
The SSD Board of Directors will hold a meeting on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, at 9:00 a.m.

Location: 2888 Brightside Dr
Baton Rouge, LA 70820
Student Center Board Room

To see the Public Notice on our website as a PDF visit the following link:
https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/4654/LSS/5932944/Public_Notice_SSD_Board_Meetings.pdf

REMINDER: Board of Directors Special Meeting
Date: 07/23/2025
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Location:
2888 Brightside Dr.
Baton Rouge, LA 70820
SSD Board Room 196-Student Activity Center

If you are unable to attend in person, the meeting will be Livestreamed on YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/jTqYqcHIzug

You can find the agenda for the meeting at the following link:
https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/4654/LSS/5894473/SSD_Agenda.pdf

REMINDER: SSD Board of Directors Special Meeting
Date: 07/21/2025
Time: 9:00 a.m.

Location:
2888 Brightside Dr.
Baton Rouge, LA 70820
SSD Board Room - Student Center

If you are unable to attend in person, the meeting will be Livestreamed on YouTube:
https://youtube.com/live/oyRSiLzSHIk?feature=share

You can find the agenda for the meeting at the following link:
https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/4654/LSS/5884387/SSD_Agenda_7.21.25_KS_7.3.25_7.16.25_7.17325.pdf

Notice of Cancellation - Board of Directors Meeting 07/15/2025 The Board of Directors of the Louisiana Special School District meeting scheduled for July 15, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. has been cancelled. The next Special meeting for the Board of Directors of the Louisiana Special School District will take place on July 21, 2025 at 9:00am. Please contact Kattie Sheppard at Kattie.Sheppard@swe.la.gov if you have any questions. You can read the full announcement on our website at the following link: https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/4654/LSS/5802857/7.15.25_Cancellation_Notice_KS_6.23.25.pdf

REMINDER: Board of Directors Meeting is Tomorrow Date: 05/13/2025 Time: 9:00 a.m. Location: 2888 Brightside Dr. Baton Rouge, LA 70820 SSD Board Room - Student Center If you are unable to attend in person, the meeting will be Livestreamed on YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/RUPhZES32CQ?feature=share You can find the agenda for the meeting at the following link: https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/4654/LSS/5630167/Agenda_5.13.25.pdf

UPDATE: Agenda for Board of Directors Meeting Please note, the agenda for the board meeting has had one additional item added. The revised link is included below. Date: 05/13/2025 Time: 9:00 a.m. Location: 2888 Brightside Dr. Baton Rouge, LA 70820 SSD Board Room - Student Center If you are unable to attend in person, the meeting will be Livestreamed on YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/RUPhZES32CQ?feature=share You can find the agenda for the meeting at the following link: https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/4654/LSS/5630167/Agenda_5.13.25.pdf

ANNOUNCEMENT: Board of Directors Meeting Date: 05/13/2025 Time: 9:00 a.m. Location: 2888 Brightside Dr. Baton Rouge, LA 70820 SSD Board Room - Student Center If you are unable to attend in person, the meeting will be Livestreamed on YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/RUPhZES32CQ?feature=share You can find the agenda for the meeting at the following link: https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/4654/LSS/5615182/Board_of_Directors_Meeting_Agenda_05.13.25.pdf

Announcement: Raptor Visitor Management System to Be Used to Screen Visitors Coming Onto SSD’s Baton Rouge Campus The Louisiana Special School District is pleased to announce that we will begin using the Raptor Visitor Management System at our campus at 2888 Brightside Drive in Baton Rouge, to strengthen our program of campus safety for students and faculty. Part of keeping students and faculty safe is knowing who is in our buildings at all times, and the Raptor system will allow us to do that. The Raptor system will better allow us to screen visitors, contractors, and volunteers in our schools and provide us with a safer environment for our students and staff. Upon entering campus via our security guard station, visitors will be asked to present an ID such as a Driver’s License, which can either be scanned or manually entered into the system. If a parent or guardian for any reason does not have a US government-issued ID, the school staff member can use any form of identification and manually enter the person’s name into the Raptor system. The Raptor system will check to ensure that registered sexual offenders are not entering our school campuses without our knowledge. The Raptor system checks the visitor's name and date of birth for comparison with a national database of registered sex offenders. The registered sex offender database is the only official database checked by the Raptor system. No other data from the ID is gathered or recorded and the information is not shared with any outside agency. Once entry is approved, SSD security will issue a badge sticker that identifies the visitor, the date, and the purpose of his/her visit. Users whose identification returns a positive match against the offender registry will be denied entry onto the campus. This badge is to be worn by the visitor at all times while on campus. The safety of our students is our highest priority and the Raptor visitor management system allows us to quickly identify those that may present a danger to our students. Thank you in advance for your understanding and your support in enhancing the school safety protocols in our district. A link to this announcement as a PDF can be found on our website at this link: https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/4654/LSS/5511342/SSD_Raptor_Notice_04.07.2025.docx__1_.pdf

REMINDER: Board of Directors Meeting Today Date: 03/18/2025 Time 9:00 a.m. Location: 2888 Brightside Dr. Baton Rouge, LA 70820 SSD Board Room - Student Center If you are unable to attend in person the meeting with be available via Livestream on SSD's YouTube Page. A link for the stream is here: https://youtube.com/live/f2pWYiYzqg4?feature=share You can find this agenda here: https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/4654/LSS/5403543/Agenda_3.18.25_Final.pdf

NOTICE: SSD Newsletter Published The February edition of the SSD newsletter has just been released. This issue features a story about the new barn project which we cut the ribbon on last month as well as articles from other departments across SSD. You can see the newsletter at this link on SSD's Website: https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/4654/LSS/5299014/February__SSD_Newsletter__FINAL.pdf