LEONARD GRAY / L’Observateur / July 31, 1999

LULING – A newly-revised student code of conduct, including a form for parents and students promising compliance with that code, was approved Wednesday by the St. Charles Parish School Board.In other matters, two board members snarled publicly over the planned use of an architectural firm for various projects. And a former Hahnville Highteacher tearfully pleaded her case for relief from paying back sabbatical pay.

The new code of conduct includes a statement of compliance to be completed and returned to the schools by Sept. 1. On the form, studentspromise to attend school daily, arrive on time, show “significant effort” to completing homework and follow school and classroom rules.

Also on the form, parents pledge to make sure their children attend school daily, arrive on time, complete homework and attend all required parent/teacher conferences.

A significant addition to the established code is the new “respect ordinance,” where students will address any school employee with proper respect and the use of such courtesy phrases as “Yes, ma’am” and “Yes, sir.”Conferences with parents would be mandated following a detention, in- school suspension or suspension for offenses such as wilful disobedience, violation of bus rules, obscenity, vandalism, fighting, inciting a riot, leaving school without permission or habitual lateness.

In the architectural matter, School Board members John L. Smith and”Sonny” Savoie traded verbal barbs over the firm of Hewitt-Washington and Associates for the design of the new $8 million K-5 school in St. Rose.At the last board meeting, on June 16, final funding for the new school was approved. The action set Wednesday was to award the architecturalcontract to the firm.

Smith and Savoie burst with conflicting motions, Savoie to oppose the action and Smith to support it. Smith said months of planning had alreadygone into the school by the firm and he accused Savoie of other reasons to oppose Hewitt-Washington.

“I don’t trust this architectural firm and I’ll tell him to his face,” Savoie declared. On the vote, the board approved awarding the contract, but split4-3, with Savoie joined in opposition by Mary Bergeron and Wayne Roussel, who each said they’d like to see other ideas presented prior to awarding the contract.

On a later matter, Savoie likewise opposed the hiring of Hewitt- Washington for the surface drainage improvements at all school sites. “Wedon’t need an architect to design drainage improvements,” he said.

Savoie added the school district has been making budget cuts across the board, so why stop with the architectural contract? Smith labeled Savoie’s opposition a “personal vendetta.””That’s an asinine statement,” Savoie snapped.

The contract was eliminated, again on a 4-3 vote, with Smith joined by Roussel and Alfred Green, who labeled the whole proceedings “shenanigans.”Superintendent Dr. Rodney Lafon reported plans in Baton Rouge for thedevelopment of a new Minimum Foundation Program formula, which would likely slash state education funding to St. Charles schools.A committee formed to develop the formula is loaded with appointees of Gov. Foster. The new formula study is to begin in early September and be completed by April 2000, a timetable which Lafon called optimistic, since the original formula took three years to develop.

Finally, bids for the classroom addition at Allemands Elementary were refused, and the project will be redesigned and readvertised for new bids.

Six bidders all exceeded the $1.6 million budget for the project, with thelowest bidder $2 million.

Finally, at the meeting’s conclusion, former Hahnville High teacher Stephanie Ledet made a tearful plea for relief from paying back more than $6,000 of sabbatical leave.

Ledet originally asked for an executive session to discuss the matter but was refused by board president Ronald St. Pierre.The matter began last fall when she said she was cursed out and her life threatened by a large male student while she was eight months pregnant.

This was compounded when the student was not removed from her classroom because, she believed, such action would have made him ineligible to play football that week.

She took sabbatical leave in January, suffering from depression, anxiety attacks and panic attacks, and began counseling and medication.

Eventually, she decided to resign but has since been ordered to pay back her sabbatical salary because of that decision.

The student, who was not identified, has since graduated.

No action was taken by the board.

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