September 11, 2020
Patrick Norton, Board Chair
Joel Castro, CEO
New Orleans College Prep (NOCP); Walter L. Cohen College Prep
2503 Willow Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70113
Re: Notice of Non-Compliance, Level 2: Child Find - ICAP
Dear Mr. Norton and Mr. Castro:
I am writing to inform you that Walter L. Cohen College Prep (“Cohen”) will remain in the Level 2 Notice of Non-Compliance
issued on October 31, 2019. This is based upon recent outcomes of a formal review of the school’s special education practices
conducted by the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) and the Independent Monitor, under P.B., et al. v. John White, et
al., Case 2:10-cv-04049. NOLA-PS was notified by the LDOE that Cohen did not successfully exit the Corrective Action Plan
(CAP) for Child Find based upon monitoring conducted by the state and the Independent Monitors during the 2019-2020 school
year.
During the 2019-2020 school year, the LDOE conducted follow-up monitoring for the special education programs at Cohen which
revealed evidence of continued non-compliance in the area of Child Find. As a result, the LDOE is requiring the school to
implement an Intensive Corrective Action Plan (ICAP) to address the citations issued to the school. Therefore, the school is
considered non-compliant with its contractual obligations regarding students with disabilities, specifically student-specific noncompliance under IDEA for Child Find.
It is critically important that your organization address the concerns noted by the LDOE immediately. In order to return to good
standing, Cohen will need to successfully exit the ICAP issued by the state. NOLA-PS will await confirmation of the state’s
assessment and make any additional reviews for compliance deemed necessary before Cohen can return to good standing.
We look forward to your cooperation and compliance within the timelines designated by the state. Failure to meet these expectations
by the dates indicated may result in escalated consequences, including but not limited to reduction in charter term upon renewal, or
revocation of your charter contract with OPSB. We appreciate your prompt attention to this matter.
Please contact Jennifer McCormick at jmccormick@nolapublicschools.com with any questions that you may have regarding this
letter.

Yours in Education,

Kevin R. George
Chief School Accountability Officer

Cc: Dr. Henderson Lewis, Superintendent, NOLA-PS