Providers press LDOE to limit public posting to substantiated critical incidents

During the Bulletin 137 review on July 8, providers urged the Louisiana Department of Education to narrow which inspection results are posted publicly. Several speakers said that posting every deficiency — including administrative or temporary findings that are later cleared — can harm centers' insurance premiums and funding eligibility and can misrepresent a facility's long-term safety record.

“Something as simple as the license not being hung on the wall could impact our insurance rates,” a provider representative said, arguing that only substantiated critical incidents should be posted for public view. Jennifer Stevenson and Rochelle Wilcox both urged that postings reflect substantiated and safety-critical findings rather than preliminary observations that are resolved on follow-up inspections.

Licensing staff explained that inspection postings reflect findings identified at the time of inspection and are updated on subsequent visits; they said that, for very serious incidents (for example, death), additional review steps can occur before the public posting is finalized. The department confirmed it will review proposed language with federal CCDF requirements and legal counsel before returning to the group with refined wording.

Work-group members asked the department to consider tiering or labeling inspection reports to distinguish administrative deficiencies from health-and-safety violations so the public has clearer context about the severity of posted items. LDOE said it will continue to take feedback and circulating technical recommendations to legal and federal reviewers.