Support for Louisiana: The State We're In is provided by Enterg Louisiana is strengthening our power grid throughout the state.

We're reinforcing infrastructure to prepare for stronger storms, reduce outages and respond quicker when you do need us, because together we power life.

Additional support provided by the Fred B. and Ruth B. Zigler Foundation and the Zigler Art Museum located in Jennings City Hall.

The museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is an historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana and the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

With support from viewers like you.

The national spotlight is on Louisiana as lawmakers vote to ban two pregnancy related drugs.

And with hurricane season right around the corner, LSU researchers are helping people fortify their homes.

In Louisiana speaks, we look at how Louisiana is at the forefront for helping families dealing with dyslexia.

And more families are turning to homeschooling to help their kids excel.

I'll explain.

Hello, everyone.

I'm Kara St. Cyr, Karen LeBlanc has the day off.

Much more on those top stories in a moment on this week's edition of Louisiana, the state we're in.

But first, Governor Jeff Landry is expected to sign a bill that would classify a pair of commonly used pregnancy drugs as dangerous controlled substances.

The measure has inflamed passions and propelled our state into The Louisiana legislature passed a bill to reclassify mifepristone and misoprostol to drugs which could be used to induce abortions early in a pregnancy.

Both pills were at the center of a national debate regarding the legality and accessibility of abortion tools in the United States.

The Supreme Court just finished hearing arguments in a monumental case threatening access to medication abortion in the U.S..

Turning now to the Supreme Court, the justices just wrapped up oral arguments on whether to uphold broad access to a pill that's commonly used for abortions.

Now to the battle over abortion rights before the Supreme Court on Tuesday, almost two years since Roe v Wade was overturned.

This time, the focus is the pill used in more than half of all abortions in the U.S. Senate, Bill 276 would reclassify both pills as controlled, dangerous substances, which is a class designated for medications with addictive characteristics similar to opioids.

This new classification would mean the pills are inaccessible without a prescription and that they'll be heavily monitored once prescribed.

They would be this bill would be scheduling medications that just have really no abuse potential.

Dr. Schmidt, A Brassard and Dr. Sarah Hanway.

Medical doctors who specialize in treating those suffering from addiction say the scheduling process is how doctors categorize drugs based on potential for abuse or dependency.

If mifepristone and misoprostol are added to the list, it could complicate a doctor's ability to treat patients facing life threatening pregnancy complications.

You know, having a controlled substance in a facility requires a lot more red tape paperwork, overhead documentation.

It overburdened an already overburdened system unnecessarily.

Like I said, these medicines are not being used for any abortive purposes.

Both pills are commonly used outside of treating miscarriages or abortions for things like insertion of IUDs, conducting uterine biopsies and even to treat hemorrhaging in the cases where these are life threatening situations for people.

And there's in no way associated with any type of abortion or termination of any pregnancy.

And those medications have been readily available on the spot.

And we don't need anything in the way of that of trying to save those lives.

But even more concerning for the doctors is the precedent it could set for scheduling medications in the future.

A concern echoed on the Senate floor Thursday as lawmakers questioned why politics should be involved in medicine.

I disagree with Senator Pressley about the law and what it is.

The law is pretty straightforward.

I believe in Title 40, where it says the secretary shall add a substance as a controlled, dangerous substance.

That's the secretary's job.

It's not the legislature's job.

And why is that?

Because that takes the politics out of it.

Senator Thomas Pressley, the author of SB 276, cites a personal anecdote of his pregnant sister being given the drug combo without consent to induce an abortion as a reason for his legislation.

He claims scheduling drugs wouldn't keep women from accessing the pills.

What happened to Catherine was tragic.

It was terrible.

It was the worst experience of her life.

My life and my family's life.

I don't want that to happen to other women.

I also don't want women to not be able to get the health care that they need when it's prescribed for a legitimate health care purpose.

Women will be able to get these pills.

Proponents of the bill say adding the pills to the controlled substance list could reduce the risk of the pills being used for abortions, something already illegal in Louisiana through the 2006 abortion ban triggered after the Supreme Court stops decision.

Doctors will have exactly the same prescribing authority as they have without the bill.

Right now, they have to get a doctor's prescription to get this medication.

After this bill, they will have to get a doctor's prescription for this medication.

The difference is two is that it will be harder to illicitly trafficked in illegal drugs.

That's what the bill does.

But opponents of the bill say the legislation could further degrade Louisiana's already poor maternal health outcomes.

We should prioritize safe and evidence based care for pregnant women.

That is not what's being done here.

We are not prioritizing safe and evidence based care for pregnant women.

We're using politics to decide how to govern, care for women.

The bill, now advanced by both the House and the Senate, will make its way to the governor's desk for signature.

Governor Jeff Landry has already implied he will sign it into law.

Vice President Kamala Harris posted on social media, calling the bill absolutely unconscionable.

Governor Jeff Landry, quickly responded, saying in part, quote, You know, you're doing something right when Kamala Harris criticizes you in, quote from hashtag the headlines.

Here's what's trending this week.

So if you're looking to relocate, you might want to consider Lafayette.

U.S. News and World Report named the city the best place to live in Louisiana.

They looked at things like cost of living, job market and quality of life.

The report's authors noted Lafayette's diverse food scene, historical attractions and festivals as key reasons to live there.

City leaders say the ranking is a testament to the community's hard work and dedication.

Shreveport and Baton Rouge rounded out the top three best places to live in the state.

I have to agree with the food.

Lafayette does have great food, but also Mandeville native Karen Waldroup is headed home after making it to the finale of The Voice.

Waldrop made it all the way to the final five of the singing competition, belting out country classics and more modern hits.

For the finale, she performed You Look Good by Lady A alongside her coaches country stars Dan and Shay.

I love them.

Unfortunately, Alabama native Asher Haven took home the crown.

Waldrop thanked her coaches, fans and family for supporting her during her journey.

Congrats on getting that far, though.

Now take a look at this.

So a TikTok creator from Arkansas has made a lot of Louisiana ins angry, myself included, because of the way she eats crawfish.

Please take a look at this video.

So this video has gotten loads of comments like, is she going to eat the whole corn on the cob?

All of that at the bottom, too.

I'm praying in advance for the doctor who will have to treat this lady.

At least she didn't try to eat oysters.

And this person says, by the way, she's eating them crawfish.

I know she can't spell Tchopitoulas which I have to agree with, but I don't know.

At least she's enjoying the crawfish.

While crawfish season may be coming to a close.

Hurricane season is just getting started.

This week, forecasters at the National Weather Service upgraded their predictions for the 2024 hurricane season to the highest ever estimates this early in the year.

They're predicting an 85% chance of an above average season with 17 to 25 named storms.

Of those, they expect 8 to 13 hurricanes and 4 to 7 of those to become major hurricanes, which means a Category three or higher.

Well, the start of hurricane season about a week away.

It's time to start making preparations for some people that may include home improvements through the state's fortified roof program.

Karen LeBlanc shows us how an LSU research team is looking for ways to extend some of those improvements to especially vulnerable manufactured homes.

Hi, Karen.

Welcome to the LSU AG Center, The House Research and Education Center.

Well, let's take a tour right now for a look inside the walls of a resilient house, one that better withstand strong winds and storms.

The LaHouse rolls out the welcome mat.

Visitors can explore storm and flood proofing features, plus exhibits of resilient, sustainable and healthy housing techniques.

So displays like this, which is a flood hardy during a bull dry up a wall, is an opportunity for someone who might not know a lot about the construction process or the home building process to see the actual features that go into these flood resistant features and options that are available to them.

Large house is built with fortified elements from plus construction standards.

Fortified is a voluntary construction option with three levels available to homeowners.

LSU researchers are exploring the feasibility of integrating fortified standards in manufactured homes.

This research is a two year research sponsored by HUD.

So this project is trying to explore pathways on how can we efficiently deliver and increase the supply of fortified monopod to homes.

So in order to do that, we need to integrate not only the details of the standard of standardized homes into the home, into the production of the home.

What we're trying to do is to make sure that we provide insight not only to the builders and in fact homes, but the builders and installers so that they can accomplish this.

The Cross campus collaborative team is investigating fortified manufactured homes as a solution for lower and middle income residents in high risk areas.

Researchers say the findings could reduce the burden on the National Flood Insurance Program and other disaster prevention mitigation and relief endeavors.

My work is more on the severe weather risk assessment side, but our team has expertise from the LSU College of Engineering, the LSU AG Center, the LSU College of the Coast and Environment and the House Research and Education Center.

So what that enables us to do is to have a broader and more synergistic outlook on how we confront these really challenging problems that confront all of us.

A fortified roof can reduce wind and storm damage by up to 38%.

The Louisiana legislature renewed the state's fortified roof program and the 2024 session incentivizing homeowners to retrofit or install new fortified roofs.

In return for grant awards to help offset costs.

So a lot of people are wondering, well, what is a fortified roof?

How does it look?

This display breaks it down for you.

It shows you all the different components of a fortified roof.

And as a homeowner, if you got your roof fortified, in other words, built to this standard with these components, you are eligible for a discount from your homeowner's insurance.

It's baked into the fortified roof program.

In 2023, Louisiana strengthened its building codes to ensure new roofs and structures can withstand 149 mile per hour winds.

Fortified construction goes beyond those standards and requires third party inspection and certification.

LaHouse also shows fortified silver standard elements proven to decrease wind loss by up to 73%.

And fortified gold standard features resulting in a win loss reduction of 80%.

Other design features offer additional protection, so the closet doubles as a storm shelter.

Right.

So the closet was actually the first structure built and then the rest of the house was built around it.

So this is the steel pocket door and you just close the cosmetic doors for the closet.

Roll this aside and it offers added security.

It's something should happen to the rest of the home.

This room should be much more secure.

The attic walls reveal different types of insulation to weatherproof the home and make it more energy efficient.

In addition to flood, wind and water resistant features, the house is also designed with universal access.

So this is our kitchen.

And one thing that a lot of people notice is we have these two different countertop heights and this one's at a typical height and this one's a bit lower.

There's also a sink at the lower countertop.

And then you can also see in the kitchen that we have some storm shutters.

We have multiple different displays of different options of storm shutters and energy efficiency to maximize comfort, safety and functionality for modern living in Louisiana.

State lawmakers are advancing efforts to improve early detection of dyslexia in children.

Last year, they funded screenings and now they're working to help pay for more testing for kids found to be at risk.

Dr. Laura Cassidy is an advocate for dyslexia awareness and a co-founder of Louisiana Key Academy.

She sat down with Karen LeBlanc to explain the importance of early detection.

I'm joined by Dr. Laura Cassidy.

She is co-founder of Louisiana Key Academy and board co-chair.

And for those who are not familiar with Louisiana Key Academy serves the students that deal with dyslexia and at its very basic definition, what is dyslexia?

So I'll first start with the more complicated definition, and then I'll try to explain it.

But it's in Louisiana law and it's in federal law.

The dyslexia is an unexpected difficulty in reading for an individual who has the intelligence to be a much better reader due to phonological processing.

And what that means is basically these kids struggle with reading.

It has nothing to do with their IQ, and it's all because they're reading from the right side of the brain, the front of the brain, instead of the left back of the brain where non dyslexics read.

There's a lot of misunderstanding, misinformation and misconceptions around dyslexia.

Help us kind of clarify some of the primary ones.

Right.

So dyslexia, it appears you're born with dyslexia.

It doesn't go away.

Most importantly, you need to get identified at the end of kindergarten, the first grade because we can help you learn how to read.

So it's early detection, given the right education, knowing that you're smart and then learning to persevere and ask for what you need in school.

But it is this fundamental problem with matching the spoken word to print.

We see it in young kids.

It could be they have a difficulty in rhyming.

They have a hard time learning the alphabet or remembering the alphabet.

And then when they start in first grade, they have a hard time learning to read.

So the crucial window is to identify between kindergarten and first grade.

Early detection is key.

However, research shows that a lot of people kind of fall through the cracks.

And, you know, children grow up and they're actually not identified as dyslexic until adulthood.

What is a solution?

So I'm excited to say that in Louisiana we have started this spring screening all kindergartners with a dyslexia screener.

That is a very good it's evidence based.

And the parents are going to get a letter if their child is at risk for dyslexia.

And so the important thing for the parent is to act on that letter.

There there is a bill in the legislature this year that would fund the ability of the parent to have the child tested.

So you're screened.

You're either at risk or not at risk.

If you're at risk, then you want to get tested because then you'll know if your child is dyslexic.

I'm very proud of Louisiana because I think we're ahead of the curve.

We have a 21st century definition of dyslexia.

We have this screening going out and then we have hopefully that will pass in the legislature money for testing.

And the department is training teachers every year to be language therapists.

So I think it'll take a few years to really reap all the benefits.

But we are a model for the rest of the country and I think it's getting rid of the stigma of dyslexia, helping people understand what it is, and then having the resources for the parents and the children, because it is, like you said, it very prevalent, at least 20%.

The Louisiana Key Academy, I almost feel like it's one of Louisiana's best kept secrets in education.

Tell me about that.

well, thank you.

Yeah.

So Louisiana Academy is a public school.

It's a charter school, but it's a tuition free public school.

And it is located in several places in Louisiana, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Northshore, and hopefully in Ruston.

That's the plan in August.

And it, in my mind, serves as the gold standard and a model for other schools and to be a resource for others.

But what we do is we test the kids for free because we know that a lot of families couldn't afford to go to a psychologist and test a thousand or 1500 dollars.

So we test for free.

We train the teachers in language therapy, which is a very important in the first and fifth grade.

And we also have small classes.

All the teachers understand what dyslexia is.

So we're doing two things.

We're saying you're smart, here's the resources you need, Here's here's how to improve your reading.

We're helping improve your reading.

And here's you're going to struggle some because K through 12 is a lot of language, a lot of reading and writing.

But here are your strengths.

We're here to celebrate your strengths and we're going to help you develop what you're naturally good at, and we're going to help you with the things that you struggle with so that you can go to college and beyond.

Dr. Cassidy, final thoughts before we go?

So again, I am thankful for what the Department is doing.

I really want the parents to know not to wait.

If your if your school doesn't understand why your child is struggling, even if they're in third or fifth or seventh grade, they're bright, but they're having a problem at school.

Then you can look at our website, lkaschools.com do some research on dyslexia.

Have your child evaluated for dyslexia because it's never too late.

It's we can always let them know while they're struggling.

We can always help them and it will make a huge difference in the trajectory of their life.

Well, Dr. Cassidy, thank you so much for coming to Lvb to share your expertise and also all of your work creating awareness about dyslexia and all the resources available to Louisianians.

Thank you.

two.

And sticking with education.

Even during the COVID era, most families were forced to turn to remote learning for their children.

Well, some were thankful when their kids were able to return to the classroom.

Others found that the road to academic achievement and success starts at home.

Mikayla is a 14 year old freshman who's been homeschooled her entire life, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

I definitely plan on staying at home so that I could keep that flexibility.

I definitely enjoy the flexibility here and like spending quality time with my family.

Her schedule is pretty simple.

She starts her day around 730 and works until the late afternoon.

Her mother, Jamila Armstrong, says homeschooling works wonders for her children.

Two of her four attend public school while Mikaela and her younger brother learn at home.

But with having them at home, I know exactly where things are veering off, where they need more help instead of having to stay on something that they master, we can move on.

If they haven't master that, then I'll stay on the subject of our issue a little longer so that they can master it.

Mikayla story is becoming more common.

According to the U.S. Census, more black parents are choosing to teach their children at home versus placing them in public or private schools.

The number has leapt from around 3.3% pre-pandemic to more than 16.1% at the end of 2020.

I'm so proud of you all.

Joyce Burgess, the co-founder of the National Black Home Educators Organization, mentors Mikayla once a week.

She says the increase in home schoolers isn't surprising.

They're not only educating their children at home, but they are also working from home.

And so like a couple of my children are educating our working from home, and they're like, you know what?

I think we can do both.

We can work from home ourselves and we can teach our children.

Burgess's organization is partner with thousands of black home educators.

She says since the pandemic, participation in her organization has ballooned by the hundreds.

Proponents of home schooling, like Burgess, claim that this type of learning teaches lessons in a way that black students can better understand.

And there is some evidence to back that up.

A 2015 study published in the Journal of School Choice pointed out that black home schoolers score between 23 and 45 percentage points higher than public school.

Black students.

But academic gain isn't the only motivator for some black parents.

And this is my room.

The third and fourth grade room.

I just kind of set out some things so you could see, you know, some of the things that we do during the course of the day.

This is in Durham Mirror Institute in Baton Rouge.

The educators here provide a home schooling experience for a small group of children.

There are only 37 kids in the entire school.

How do you feel about more children, more black children specifically deciding to homeschool if they can be just in an environment where it's conducive to learning in a smaller of the students will have the best education possible that way.

Teaching black kids in a space like this also provides a way to emphasize history that they fear may not be taught in schools.

National conversations about critical race theory and history lessons may also influence a parent's decision to shift to homeschooling.

They learn about their history on a regular basis, like every every day, every week, as part of their lesson.

They learn other things, you know, in history as well, but it's incorporated into our regular plans.

In addition to that, they have been entering the Black history Quiz bowl that's held on Southern University campus for years.

I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I am the I am the coach.

So, you know.

But overall, the Durham Mirror Institute is all about meeting children where they are when they are feeling loved and appreciated and know that we truly care.

The the roof is off.

I mean, it's endless, you know, their level of learning.

And so that's just not something that they are able to get outside of their you know, sometimes they might be a handful of teachers that really get to the students.

And, you know, they can see that.

But that's just a few here.

It's every every teacher, every student.

You know, everybody has a chance.

The most recent graduating class had 18 students.

Each are going off to college this year.

the clock is ticking on this year's legislative session and lawmakers are still debating one of Governor Jeff Landry's top proposals, a constitutional convention.

The state's key legal document dates back to the disco era and has become packed with hundreds of amendments.

But should lawmakers rush to rewrite the constitution?

Louisiana Spotlight is partnering with the Public Affairs Research Council to explore all sides of the issue.

You can watch on dot org slash Louisiana spotlight.

And that's our show for this week.

Remember, you can watch anything LPB anytime, wherever you are.

With our LPB app.

You can watch LPB.

news and public affairs shows as well as other Louisiana programs you've come to enjoy over the years.

And please like us on Facebook X an Instagram for everyone at Louisiana Public Broadcasting, I'm crossing here.

Until next time.

That's the state we're in.

Support for Louisiana.

The state we're in is provided by Entergy.

Louisiana is strengthening our power grid throughout the state.

We're reinforcing infrastructure to prepare for stronger storms, reduce outages and respond quicker when you do need us, because together we power life.

Additional support provided by the Fred and Ruth Zigler Foundation and the Zigler Art Museum located in Jennings City Hall.

The museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is an historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana.

And by visit Baton Rouge and the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting and viewers like you.

Thank you.