John Martinez is now a senior at St. Paul’s Catholic School in Covington. John has autism and is part of the “Core PACK” program at St. Paul’s, which has created a special education program for kids like John. Like his father and his younger brother, John is an avid wrestler. This past February, he became Louisiana’s state champion at 215 lb. weight class for Division I.
But John had to fight to even get on the mat—the Louisiana High School Athletic Association denied him the right to compete his freshman year, because of his disability. He missed his entire freshman year, in what the LHSAA now admits was a “mistake,” simply because he was enrolled at a special education program at a private school. His sophomore year, the LHSAA tried to do the same, but Chris Edmunds Law Office got involved, and the LHSAA backed down mere days before the season began. Our office filed suit in federal court, and the case settled, with an agreement that this type of thing would never happen again.
Unfortunately, the LHSAA breached that agreement almost immediately and denied John the right to wrestle a third time. This time, he missed two competitions at the beginning of his junior year. The LHSAA tried to secretly create a new requirement that students have an “active service plan” (something private schools do not use) on file with the Louisiana Department of Education. After our office intervened, the LHSAA once again reversed its decision and allowed John to compete his junior year.
This past year, his senior year, was the first time John was able to compete in a full season without disruption, and on February 7, 2026, he became the state champion at the 215 lb. weight class. About a month later, the LHSAA agreed to enter into a consent decree, whereby it amended its ByLaws to ensure that private-school students receiving special education will never have to endure the pain and suffering John endured. The court is overseeing the consent judgment, requiring that the LHSAA take steps to promote inclusion of disabled student athletes.
