Appellate court says BESE may have broken open meeting law in takeover of failing Baker schoolsBAKER — The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education may have violated state law by not properly notifying the public that it was taking over two low-performing schools in Baker, an appellate court found. This reverses a May 2025 19th JDC decision that denied the City of Baker School Board's claims about open meeting violations against BESE. BESE's meeting agenda for March 12, 2025, made no direct mention of Baker Heights Elementary School and Baker Middle School or the planned takeover after the schools received four consecutive "F" ratings. If the ruling the appellate court made this week stands, BESE will need to more thoroughly outline its agendas for its meetings. Tuesday's decision about transparency within the agendas potentially being violated was an appeal on a separate lawsuit filed by the City of Baker School System.