BY MATTHEW ALBRIGHT | Staff writer Across Louisiana, there are thousands of schools that operate without approval from the state. The diplomas there are unlikely to be accepted by most colleges, and the state does virtually nothing to ensure the schools follow academic standards or other rules. Most of it appears to be legal; Louisiana lawmakers wanted to give parents freedom to pick schools for themselves. Over the past few years, the number of students attending these schools has grown rapidly. With our partners at The Associated Press, we took a deep dive into what's driving that increase and what it means for Louisiana families. Here's what we found. As law enforcement tried to track down two escapees from Baton Rouge's juvenile detention center — one of whom had previously escaped just two weeks ago — Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broom said Monday that parish government was taking immediate steps to better secure the facility. Here's what the parish is doing, and how it plays into larger, long-standing criticism of the juvenile lockup. Should Jayden Daniels win the Heisman Trophy? LSU's quarterback is a front-runner for the most prestigious individual trophy in college football. Here's a look at the eye-popping statistics that give him such a good case for the honor. |