BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Senate on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of Ernest Garrett III as superintendent of the state's Special School District.

Garrett began leading the district, which includes the School for the Deaf and the School for the Visually Impaired, this past September.

He was previously superintendent at the Missouri School for the Deaf and the CEO of Deaf Empowerment Awareness Foundation Inc.

The School for the Deaf, in particular, has a problematic history that includes poor performance, low student morale and even staff members being accused of sexually assaulting students. The school was shut down briefly in 2008 to make changes authorities said at the time were necessary to protect students.

In addition to the Baton Rouge-based boarding schools for deaf students and visually impaired students, the Special School District is also responsible for juvenile justice facilities, correctional facilities and a Special Education Center in Alexandria.