Louisiana Administrative Code
Title 28 - EDUCATION
Part LVII - Bulletin 1872-Extended School Year Program Handbook
Chapter 1 - Purpose
Section LVII-101 - Introduction

A. Extended School Year Program (ESYP) is the provision of special education and related services to students with disabilities in accordance with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) beyond the normal school year of the LEA and at no cost to the parents of the student. The legal basis for extending the school year for certain students with disabilities is stated in § 447 of Bulletin 1706-Regulations for Implementation of the Children with Exceptionalities Act (R.S.17:1941 et seq.) and in court decisions relative to the 180-day rule. These decisions have reaffirmed the federal legislative intent to ensure an appropriate education based on the student's needs and on the individually designed educational program to meet those needs.

B. The Louisiana Department of Education and the Advocacy Center for the Elderly and Disabled concluded the Laura I. Consent Decree in 1994. As a result of the Laura I. Consent Decree, the Louisiana Department of Education established program standards for extended school year services. All local education agencies must utilize specific eligibility criteria to determine the need for ESYP and program planning guidelines to design, implement and evaluate the extended school year program.

C. The ESYP eligibility criteria were developed to ensure that students have equal access to extended school year services. These criteria were effective as of October 1, 1990. The ESYP planning guidelines were developed to ensure that ESYP services are based on the individually identified needs of students with disabilities. The program standards were effective as of January 1, 1991.

D. This handbook, Extended School Year Program, consolidates Bulletins 1870: Determining Eligibility for Extended School Year Programs (April 2, 1990), and 1871: Program Standards for Extended School Year Program (January 1, 1991). This consolidated handbook also includes revisions made during the spring of 1994 once all local education agencies had exited from the consent decree. Further revisions were made during the summer of 2002 and 2004. The current handbook provides the guidelines on eligibility determination, design, implementation, and evaluation of the extended school year program.