This week on Behind the Lens, a consultant’s report commissioned by a New Orleans school found what appear to be serious shortcomings in its special education services, but the full report was not presented to the school’s governing body. 

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell moves to furlough thousands of city employees one day per pay period for the remainder of the year as a cost saving measure. 

Local watchdog groups are urging the City Council to pass an ordinance that would ban some surveillance technology in New Orleans, including facial recognition and predictive policing software.

And citing a projected budget shortfall due to the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, the city of New Orleans is arguing in court that it doesn’t have the money to build or operate the $51 million jail facility known as Phase III.

Our guests this week are education reporter Marta Jewson, government and cultural economy reporter Michael Isaac Stein and Lens editor Charles Maldonado.

Behind The Lens is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play and Stitcher. And we broadcast the show on community radio stations 102.3 FM WHIV LP in Mid-City and 90.3 FM WAMF-LP in the Marigny.

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Carolyne Heldman has been in media for 35 years, most recently as Executive Director at an NPR member station in Colorado where she was responsible for new multi-platform content initiatives, strategic...