SCHOOL BOARD PROCEEDINGS

The Avoyelles Parish School Board met in regular session Tuesday, December 6, 2011, at 5:00 p.m. at the School Board Office with the following members present:

Van Kojis, President; Carlos A. Mayeux, Jr., Vice-President; Freeman Ford, Darrell Wiley, James Gauthier, Shelia Blackman-Dupas, Lizzie Ned, Michael Lacombe, and Cynthia “Cindy” Hill.

Absent: None.

An Invocation was offered by Craig Foster, Assistant Superintendent of Schools.

The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America led by Board Member Shelia Blackman-Dupas.

Before proceeding with the agenda of the meeting, President Van Kojis publicly thanked all supporters of the taxes that recently passed for the increase in salaries for all teachers, support personnel, and school board personnel. He expressed hope that Avoyelles Parish can now compete more readily with other parishes in salary ranges.

1. On motion by Darrell Wiley, seconded by Michael Lacombe, the Board adopted the minutes of the regular Board meeting held Tuesday, November 1, 2011, as printed and mailed to Board members and published in The Weekly News, official journal of the Board.   MOTION CARRIED.
   
   

2. Mr. James Gauthier, Board Member, read a resolution of respect to the late Thomas Williber, Sr., former member of the Avoyelles Parish School Board and bus driver.

Whereas Mr. Thomas Williber, Sr., a former member of the Avoyelles Parish School Board for 4 years and bus driver for over 20 years, has been called from this life; and whereas this period of service is marked with many accomplishments and dedicated public service to the school system of this parish; and whereas Mr. Williber always served with integrity and wisdom; therefore, be it resolved that this board pauses in memory of the late Thomas Williber, Sr. and expresses its sincere appreciation for the services he rendered as a member of this body and bus driver; and be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be sent to his family so that they might know that his service to this school system is gratefully acknowledged.

On motion by James Gauthier, seconded by Cynthia "Cindy" Hill, the Board adopted a resolution of respect to the late Thomas Williber, Sr.    MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

3. Mr. Darrell Wiley, Board Member, read a resolution of respect to the late Fred Ryland, former bus driver.

Whereas God, in His infinite wisdom, has called to his eternal resting place Mr. Fred Ryland, former bus driver of this school board, who served unselfishly for over 20 years; and whereas this board feels that his passing to his eternal rewards be noted at this time in recognition of the unselfish service he rendered to the cause of public education; therefore, be it resolved that the Avoyelles Parish School Board hereby expresses its deepest regret over the death of this dedicated employee; and be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution to be sent to his family so that they might know the esteem at which he was held.

On motion by Darrell Wiley, seconded by Shelia Blackman-Dupas, the Board adopted a resolution of respect to the late Fred Ryland.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

4. Mr. James Gauthier, Board Member, read a resolution of respect to the late Bobby Guillot.

Whereas Mr. Bobby Guillot, who was a printer and repair maintenance employee, has been called from this life; and whereas Mr. Guillot has devoted over 25 years of service to this educational system, and his passing is a great loss to this school system; therefore, be it resolved that the Avoyelles Parish School Board hereby expresses its deepest regret over the death of this former employee; and be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be sent to his family so that they may know that his service to the education system is recognized, and that this body expresses its deepest sympathy over their personal loss.

Mr. Carlos A. Mayeux, Jr. commented that he was Mr. Guillot’s immediate supervisor for many years and really appreciated all of the things he did for the school system. Mr. Guillot was such a talented person to fix almost anything, even back in the days of overhead projectors and copy machines in the beginning. He also excelled in printing. He was a very dedicated employee of the board for many years, and Mr. Mayeux always appreciated him and all of his help.

On motion by James Gauthier, seconded by Carlos A. Mayeux, Jr., the Board adopted the resolution of respect to the late Bobby Guillot.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

5. Superintendent Dwayne Lemoine recognized Students of the Month and each Board member presented a plaque to each student, as follows:

Mr. Freeman Ford presented a plaque to Tanner Nugent, Marksville High School; Mr. Darrell Wiley presented a plaque to Breanna Wyatt, Lafargue Elementary School; Mr. James Gauthier presented a plaque to Roark Gaspard, LaSAS; Ms. Shelia Blackman Dupas  presented a plaque to Cordell Franklin, Riverside Elementary School; Mr. Van Kojis presented a plaque to Jagruti Patel, Bunkie High School; Mr. Carlos A. Mayeux, Jr. presented a plaque to Sean Hoffman, Avoyelles High School; Mrs. Lizzie Ned presented a plaque to Kassey Armand, Bunkie Elementary School; Mr. Michael Lacombe presented a plaque to Anessa Sauseda, Cottonport Elementary School; Mr. Michael Lacombe presented a plaque to Ja’Annie Spencer, Plaucheville  Elementary School; and Ms. Cynthia “Cindy” Hill presented a plaque to Hunter Warren, Marksville Elementary School. 

A short biography was read detailing accomplishments of each student.

On behalf of the Board, President Van Kojis commended the students on their accomplishments.

6. Superintendent Dwayne Lemoine and Ms. Demetria Alexander, Title II Visiting Teacher, recognized essay contest winners from Avoyelles High School, Bunkie New Tech High School, and Marksville High School.  3^rd place winners received $25 cash, 2^nd place winners received $50, and 1^st place winners received $100. From Avoyelles High—9^th grade winners: 3^rd place Madeline Peavy, 2^nd place Brett Lambert, 1^st place Kelsey Arnouville; 10^th grade winners: 3^rd place Alyssa Bonton, 2^nd place Kaelyn Gauthier, 1^st place Derek Foti. From Bunkie New Tech High—9^th grade winners: 3^rd place Brittany Coulon; 2^nd place Jenna Jagnard; 1^st place Tyler Ryland; 10^th grade winners: 3^rd place Leonie Spelling; 2^nd place Carlie Barrere; 1^st place Conner Descant. From Marksville High—9^th grade winners: 3^rd place Krista Laborde, 2^nd place Hope Dupuy, 1^st place Mysherie Johnson; 10^th grade winners: 3^rd place Blair Bonton, 2^nd place Mallory Lemoine, 1^st place Emily Ryan.
   
   

7. Item 5, presentation regarding “Government Day,” has been removed from the agenda for this meeting.
   
   

8. Superintendent Dwayne Lemoine recognized Mrs. Tammy Tassin, teacher at Marksville Elementary School, for successfully meeting all requirements for the National Board of Certification. She will receive a stipend from the district for her hard work.
   
   

9. Superintendent Dwayne Lemoine recognized Ms. Tammy Tassin and Ms. Jessica Gauthier, teachers at Marksville Elementary School, for receiving a $750 QSM grant for mathematics and science.  Also, Mr. Lemoine recognized Mr. Jeremy Bonnette, teacher at LaSAS, for receiving a $726 QSM grant for science materials. These teachers were commended for completing the grant and making a difference in their classrooms for our students.
   
   

10. Mr. Freeman Ford, Board Member, addressed the Board regarding changes in the Discipline Handbook. Mr. Ford had three main concerns regarding the discipline policy which he would like to see changed, and he offered a motion to recommend these changes.

#1)         In expulsion hearings, add someone of the opposite race when the committee is composed of all the same race;

#2)     If a student has been accused of a drug offense, and the test is disputed, allow the child to remain in school until the dispute has been resolved;

#3)    Revise the policy pertaining to the role of a representative or parent of a student in an expulsion hearing by allowing more flexibility in their participation.

Discussion ensued. It was agreed that three separate motions would need to be made regarding these changes. Board member Shelia Blackman-Dupas stated she supports these changes because she believes a student at an expulsion hearing should have someone that “looks like” him/her on the committee. She also feels that kids should be allowed to stay in school until the final results of any drug test. She brought up a case where a student had pending charges against them, but they were allowed to start school because they had not been proven guilty yet, so the same should be done with regards to a drug test—until an investigation is complete, the student should be allowed to stay in school. In regards to a representative being able to speak when a student is appealing something, that should be done automatically; otherwise, why even have a representative present if they can’t even say anything?

Mr. Freeman Ford reiterated that in regards to Item #1, he believes a judge and the Justice Department would be in favor of it. It does not apply to one particular race; just someone of the opposite race of a minority student should have a minority sitting on the committee.

Mr. James Gauthier stated he didn’t think the use of the word “opposite” for race would be a good thing because we now have more than just two races. Ms. Shelia Blackman-Dupas offered to use the wording “same race as the person being expelled.” Mr. Gauthier agreed that would be okay.

In regards to Item #2, the time frame of a disputed drug test result was discussed. Superintendent Dwayne Lemoine stated that when an initial first screening shows a positive result, it is sent off to a lab for a more thorough screening. Mr. Robby Gaspard clarified that it goes to Kansas and takes 5-7 days for the second screening. To clarify what a disputed case means, Mr. Freeman Ford stated that if a student is accused of a drug offense, and a parent decides to take the student to another medical facility for a drug test and the test results are negative, he feels we should wait until the issue has been resolved. Mr. Ford mentioned a recent case where this happened, and the student was out of school while the test was being disputed. Mr. Lemoine noted that in that instance, however, the hospital recorded that the sample was not of the correct temperature, so there was no chain of custody; therefore, that test should not be considered a disputed test. Mr. Ford wished to use the words “when the results are different” instead of disputed. Mr. Robby Gaspard interjected that when you do a comparison between drug tests, the substances must be measured exactly the same (positive results picked up at 15mg vs. 50mg) in order to be a true comparison. Mr. Ford stated that during the 5-7 days, the student in the recent case was out of school and missed those days. Mr. Gaspard reminded Mr. Ford that all students are offered instruction at APAS, and that particular student chose to stay out those days. Mr. Van Kojis reiterated that during the time a student’s drug test is sent off for confirmation, the student cannot go back to his/her own school, but he/she is automatically offered instruction at APAS. If the student does not attend APAS for those days, then he/she is counted as absent. Mr. Kojis then asked Mr. Ford what is his problem with that—if they are in school at APAS, then they are not out of school. Mr. Ford stated they should be at their regular school, not at APAS.

In discussing Item #1 again, Superintendent Dwayne Lemoine stated that in an expulsion hearing, a committee presents the case to him and he makes the final decision. The committee is composed of a student, his/her parent or representative, the principal of the school the student attends, and Mr. Robby Gaspard who conducts the hearing. Mr. Ford mentioned that in the past, the Supervisor of Child Welfare was also present on the committee along with another principal or assistant principal from another school. He moved that someone of the same race as the student should be present on the committee at the expulsion hearing. Ms. Cynthia "Cindy" Hill questioned if we have a representative of every race to be available, Spanish for example. Ms. Shelia Blackman-Dupas said we’d have to find one. Mr. Carlos A. Mayeux, Jr. asked if the person had to be an administrator. Mr. Lemoine stated we should ask for a committee of two to conduct the hearing—Mr. Robby Gaspard and someone of a minority race. He didn’t think it was feasible to find someone of Spanish origin, for example, to sit in on a hearing. If Mr. Gaspard’s position is later filled by a minority candidate, then the second person on the committee would have to be someone of the white race. Mr. Michael Lacombe questioned why the words “minority race” should be used, and he was reminded of the example used by Ms. Cynthia "Cindy" Hill.

For Item #1, a motion was offered by Mr. Freeman Ford, seconded by Ms. Shelia Blackman-Dupas, that in an expulsion hearing, Mr. Robby Gaspard along with someone of the minority race (if the student is of the minority race) will conduct the hearing, and the principal will still act as the presenter.

The motion was adopted by the following vote:

Ayes:  Van Kojis, Darrell Wiley, Freeman Ford, James Gauthier, Shelia Blackman-Dupas, Cynthia "Cindy" Hill, and Lizzie Ned.

Nays:  Carlos A. Mayeux, Jr. and Michael Lacombe.

There were no comments or questions from the audience. MOTION CARRIED.

For Item #2, a motion was offered by Mr. Freeman Ford, seconded by Ms. Shelia Blackman-Dupas, that a child be allowed to remain in his/her school if he/she has been accused of a drug offense, but another test result is different than the School Board’s test result, until final results are obtained. Ms. Cynthia "Cindy" Hill questioned Mr. Ford regarding “another test,” does he mean to bring that specimen to another facility to have it tested, or does he mean that the student is allowed to go to another facility to have another test done on another specimen? Mr. Ford stated he is talking about if the results of a test done at another facility are different than the results of the School Board’s test. It would be a totally different specimen. Ms. Hill asked if someone from the Central Office would go with the student to the other facility, i.e. would the chain of custody be followed. A lot could happen between the time of the School Board’s test and the other facility’s test. Someone would have to go with the student to be sure that a true specimen would be given to the other facility. Forged specimens do occur and have in the past.

Superintendent Dwayne Lemoine asked the board to consider that when a principal makes an expulsion recommendation, the student is only suspended until after an expulsion hearing is held 5 days later; therefore, why would that be any different than when a drug test is disputed and there is a 5-7 day period until the definitive results come back. In other words, why would we suspend a child undergoing an expulsion hearing but not a child who is disputing a drug test? If we do that, why not let all children recommended for expulsion stay in their school until the hearing takes place? Ms. Shelia Blackman-Dupas asked the teachers in the audience, “Would you want your child to be educated at APAS? I think not. When a student is sent to APAS, the learning stops, it is a total waste of time, and it needs to be done away with. Whether they are there for 5 days or 88 days, we are losing kids because we cannot go back and reteach them after that. We have a system set up where they can go to that school to help them, but if they’re actually being educated is another story.

Mr. Freeman Ford went back to Ms. Cynthia "Cindy" Hill’s question and clarified that if the other facility’s specimen stays at the facility, there is no problem with chain of custody. Ms. Cynthia "Cindy" Hill said the problem is in obtaining the specimen, i.e. if someone will be there to watch the student give the specimen and follow proper procedure for an accurate test. Mr. Robby Gaspard asked how much time will be allowed to pass before the initial test is disputed. Mr. Ford stated that if a parent would dispute the test, he assumes they would go the same day for another test.

Regarding Ms. Shelia Blackman-Dupas’ comments about APAS, Mr. Michael Lacombe stated he knew of two 9^th grade students who went to APAS for over three months. They went back to Marksville High and started 10^th grade. They are now “B” and “C” students who’ve kept up their grades, so he doesn’t think that APAS is a waste of time and money. APAS kept them off the streets and helped them get promoted to the next grade, and they are doing fine in school right now. Ms. Shelia Blackman-Dupas stated that is his opinion.

The motion was then reiterated and offered by Mr. Freeman Ford, seconded by Ms. Shelia Blackman-Dupas, that a child be allowed to remain in his/her school if he/she has been accused of a drug offense and the test is disputed until the dispute has been resolved.

The motion failed by the following vote:

Ayes:  Freeman Ford, Shelia Blackman-Dupas, and Lizzie Ned.

Nays:  Van Kojis, Carlos A. Mayeux, Jr., Darrell Wiley, James Gauthier, Michael Lacombe, and Cynthia "Cindy" Hill.

There were no comments or questions by the audience. MOTION FAILED.

For Item #3, a motion was made by Mr. Freeman Ford, seconded by Ms. Shelia Blackman-Dupas, that a representative or parent of a student in an expulsion hearing be allowed to speak and have more flexibility in their participation.

The motion was adopted by the following vote:

Ayes:  Van Kojis, Carlos A. Mayeux, Jr., Freeman Ford, Darrell Wiley, James Gauthier, Shelia Blackman-Dupas, Lizzie Ned, and Cynthia "Cindy" Hill.

Nays:  Michael Lacombe.

There were no comments or questions from the audience. MOTION CARRIED.

11. Mr. Howard Desselle, citizen of Marksville, addressed the Board regarding early childhood education. He stressed that children need a solid stable foundation, and education is most important. He sees children failing school and are on the streets, and they are following the cycle of their parents who have fallen out of school, so they have nobody to help them with their foundation. Money should be put into programs or communities where these children are failing. He suggested bringing in successful people of color so that the parents and children can see they can be just as successful, and they are not limited by their color but are instead limited by their enthusiasm for learning. He expressed hope that the School Board will wisely use the revenue from the recently passed tax issue. He recommended that the money be invested in teaching more difficult courses which will lead to better careers for our students here and a better local economy. He yearned for the days of the Parish Fair and would like to see it return. He stated that the School Board has the authority and responsibility to make education better for our students, especially in the subjects of math and science, but we need to change it. There should be no more excuses and he suggested to maybe bring in an advisory committee to make it better so that our children don’t get left behind compared to the rest of the nation.
    
    

12. President Van Kojis presented a resolution providing that the School Board accepts the canvassing of returns and declaring the results of the special election held in (i) the Parish of Avoyelles, State of Louisiana and (ii) Parishwide School District of the Parish of Avoyelles, State of Louisiana, on Saturday, November 19, 2011, to authorize the levy of a sales and use tax and a special tax therein. Upon motion by Darrell Wiley, seconded by Freeman Ford, the resolution was unanimously adopted by the Board.
    
    

13. President Van Kojis presented an ordinance providing for the levy within the Parish of Avoyelles, State of Louisiana, effective January 1, 2012, of a one-fourth of one percent (1/4%) sales and use tax upon the sale at retail, the use, the lease or rental, the consumption, and the storage for use or consumption, of tangible personal property and on sales of services in said Parish, providing for the assessment, collection, payment thereof and the dedication of the proceeds of said tax and the purpose for which the proceeds of the tax may be expended, such tax having been authorized at a special election held in said Parish on November 19, 2011. Mr. Freeman Ford questioned Ms. Mary Bonnette, Director of Finance, if the payroll will be set up by January 1, 2012. She clarified that the sales taxes will be collected beginning January 1, 2012, and the School Board won’t see the revenue until February 20, so the Board will have to decide when the money will be used within the 2011-2012 fiscal year. Upon motion by Michael Lacombe, seconded by Carlos A. Mayeux, Jr., the ordinance was unanimously accepted and adopted by the Board.
    
    

14. Mr. Wilfred Ducote, Sales Tax Collector, was unable to attend the meeting, but the sales tax collection was available for all Board members to review. Sales tax collections for the month of October 2011 totaled $581,164.83. Of this amount, the 1% sales tax generated $387,443.22 and the 1/2% sales tax generated $193,721.61. The increased amount was allegedly attributed to holiday sales and possibly oil and gas.
    
    

15. Mr. Carlos A. Mayeux, Jr., Chairman of the Finance Committee, presented the following report:

Finance Committee Report

November 8, 2011

The Finance Committee of the Avoyelles Parish School Board met Tuesday, November 8, 2011, at 4:30 p.m. at the School Board Office with the following members present:

Carlos A. Mayeux, Jr., Chairman; Michael Lacombe, Shelia Blackman-Dupas, Cynthia “Cindy” Hill, and Dwayne Lemoine, Superintendent.  President Van Kojis was absent. Also present were James Gauthier, Board Member; and Mary Bonnette, Director of Finance.

1)     Upon motion by Michael Lacombe, seconded by Cindy Hill, the Finance Committee recommended to approve requests for overnight travel as presented by Superintendent Dwayne Lemoine. MOTION CARRIED.

2)     Upon motion by Michael Lacombe, seconded by Shelia Blackman-Dupas, the Finance Committee recommended to advertise for proposals for an insurance consultant for policy periods beginning July 1, 2012 and ending June 30, 2014.   MOTION CARRIED.

3)     Mrs. Mary Bonnette, Director of Finance, presented a budget update for 2011-2012 fiscal year and a report on the 2010-2011 fiscal year.

Mrs. Bonnette reviewed the 2010-2011 results of operation which consisted of total revenues of $34,814,354, total expenditures of $34,213,509 with a surplus of $600,845 and an ending fund balance of $4,147,036. 

She also presented a proposed budget revision for 2011-2012 consisting of total revenues of $35,901,805, total expenditures of $36,543,943, with an estimated deficit of $642,138 resulting in an estimated ending fund balance of $3,504,898.

An explanation of the deficit provided was the recent 5% health insurance increase along with increased fuel prices.

Upon motion by Michael Lacombe, seconded by Shelia Blackman-Dupas, the Finance Committee recommended to approve the budget update for the 2011-2012 fiscal year and the budget revision for the 2011-2012 fiscal year.  MOTION CARRIED.

4)     Mr. Craig Foster, Assistant Superintendent, presented the Needs Assessment Committee Report, as follows:

Board Member Screening Committee Report

The Avoyelles Parish School Board Screening Committee met on Wednesday, November 2, 2011, at 3:00 p.m. at the School Board Office with the following members present:

Dwayne Lemoine, Superintendent; Craig W. Foster, Assistant Superintendent; Mary Bonnette, Finance Director; Steve Marcotte, Maintenance Supervisor; Van Kojis, Board President; Freeman Ford, Board Member; and Michael P. Lacombe, Board Member.

Mr. Dwayne Lemoine reviewed the proposed Capital Improvement Plan for the Avoyelles Parish schools for the next five years.  Mr. Lemoine advised the committee that future capital improvement projects for the next five years include (1) Avoyelles High School, four classroom addition to the new wing ($350,000); (2) Riverside Elementary School, Kindergarten restrooms ($80,000); (3) Marksville Elementary School, interior renovations ($250,000); (4) Cottonport Elementary School, renovate two-story Kindergarten building ($350,000); and (5) Marksville High School, update of the auditorium ($200,000).

In addition, Superintendent Lemoine discussed external factors to ensure success, namely, (a) District Funds (School Board must dedicate $100,000 annually from district funds to capital project funds; (b) Section Sixteen Leases (School Board must agree to lease all section sixteen lands and commit all revenues generated to capital project funds; (c) Sales Tax Growth Projections (Sales tax collections must continue to grow at a rate of 3% annually; and (d) School Board (School Board must agree to the capital project plan for the next five years).  Superintendent Lemoine further discussed revenue sources for the next five years to include: (a) 3% annual increase to ½ cent sales tax ($310,000 estimated); (b) Section 16 land leases ($500,000 estimated); and (c) Special Sales Tax Dedicated Funds ($500,000) - Projected Revenue Sources: $1,310,000.

Mr. Craig Foster added that the timeline of projects may be subject to change.

Mr. Freeman Ford expressed concern over accepting sixteenth section revenue proposals.

Upon motion by Freeman Ford, seconded by Van Kojis, the committee recommended to approve the concept of the proposal of the five year Capital Improvement Plan.  MOTION CARRIED.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:00 p.m.

Upon motion by Michael Lacombe, seconded by Cindy Hill, the Finance Committee recommended to adopt the Board Member Screening Committee report as presented.  MOTION CARRIED.

5)     Superintendent Dwayne Lemoine advised the Finance Committee of an assessment in the amount of $51,876.96 to the United States Department of Labor, as a result of a recent audit of immigrant wages. 

Superintendent Lemoine stated that Universal Placement was charging teachers these costs associated with their visas for their first year.  He explained that it is encumbered upon School Boards to collect from Universal Placement. 

6)     Mr. Craig Foster, Assistant Superintendent, advised the Finance Committee that he had received a call from Senator Mary Landrieu regarding scheduling a visit to Avoyelles High School on Monday, November 13, 2011, from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. Mr. Foster invited Board members to attend.

The Finance Committee respectfully recommends the adoption of this report.

Carlos A. Mayeux, Jr., Chairman

Finance Committee

Mr. Freeman Ford questioned the difference between the surplus and the ending fund balance as noted in Item 3 of the Finance Committee Report. Ms. Mary Bonnette, Director of Finance, stated  the surplus is the revenue minus expenditures. The ending fund balance is carried forward, so the surplus of $600,845 is included in the ending fund balance of $4,147,036.

On motion by Carlos A. Mayeux, Jr., seconded by Michael Lacombe, the Finance Committee Report was adopted by the following vote.

Ayes:  Van Kojis, Carlos A. Mayeux, Jr., Darrell Wiley, James Gauthier, Shelia Blackman-Dupas, Lizzie Ned, Michael Lacombe, and Cynthia "Cindy" Hill.

Nays:  Freeman Ford.

16. Mr. Freeman Ford, Chairman of the Executive Committee, presented the following report: 

Executive Committee Report

November 8, 2011

The Executive Committee of the Avoyelles Parish School Board met Tuesday, November 8, 2011, at 5:00 p.m. at the School Board Office with the following members present:

Freeman Ford, Chairman; Carlos A. Mayeux, Jr., James Gauthier, Michael Lacombe,  and Dwayne Lemoine, Superintendent. President Van Kojis was absent.  Also present were Cindy Hill and Shelia Blackman-Dupas, Board Members; and Robby Gaspard, Supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance.

1)     Mr. Tim Ryan, Parent, addressed the Executive Committee regarding use of cell phones by students.   Mr. Ryan expressed his thanks to the committee for allowing him to address the cell phone policy.  He expressed concern for students who do not drive, but have an after-school activity.

Upon motion by James Gauthier, seconded by Michael Lacombe, the Executive Committee recommended to refer this matter to the Discipline Committee for review.  MOTION CARRIED.

Mrs. Shelia Blackman-Dupas stated that the minutes of the committee meetings should reflect more of the discussion.

2)     Upon motion by James Gauthier, seconded by Carlos A. Mayeux, Jr., the Executive Committee recommended to approve policies submitted by Mr. James Prescott of Forethought Consulting, Incorporated, as follows:

Chairman Freeman Ford expressed opposition to File: KG - Use of School Facilities.

The motion was adopted by the following vote:

Ayes: James Gauthier, Carlos A. Mayeux, Jr., Michael Lacombe, and Freeman Ford (with the exception of File: KG).

3)     Superintendent Dwayne Lemoine reviewed the district’s expulsion procedures.

Upon motion by James Gauthier, seconded by Carlos A. Mayeux, Jr., the Executive Committee recommended that all expulsion appeals be heard by the full Board at the next scheduled meeting.  MOTION CARRIED.

The committee reviewed File: JDE - Expulsion.  The committee voted to change the policy to reflect the following changes :

File: JDE

EXPULSION

The Avoyelles Parish School Board may expel a pupil from school if an offense committed by the pupil is serious enough to warrant such action or is in violation of state law.  Upon the recommendation for expulsion of a pupil by the principal, the Superintendent or his/her designee shall conduct a hearing to determine the facts of the case and make a finding of whether or not the student is guilty of conduct warranting a recommendation of expulsion.  Notification of the time, date, and place of the expulsion hearing shall be mailed to the parents.  If the parent or legal guardian is not present for the hearing after having been properly notified, the hearing may proceed and the results of the hearing shall be mailed to the parent or legal guardian within three (3) days of the conclusion of the hearing by certified mail, return receipt requested.

At the hearing, the principal and/or teacher concerned may be represented by any person appointed by the Superintendent and the concerned teacher shall be permitted to attend and present any relevant information.  Until the hearing, the pupil shall remain suspended.

Upon the conclusion of the hearing and upon finding the student guilty of conduct warranting expulsion, the Superintendent shall determine whether such student shall be expelled and the specified period of expulsion, or if other disciplinary action shall be taken.  Unless otherwise stipulated by state statutes, the period of expulsion shall not be less than one school semester and may carry over into the next school year, if necessary.  During an expulsion, except for students expelled for offenses involving a firearm, knife or other dangerous weapon or instrumentality, or drugs, narcotics or other controlled dangerous substances, the School Board shall place the student in an alternative school or in an alternative school setting.

The parent or tutor of the pupil may, within five (5) days after the decision to expel has been rendered, request the Board to review the findings of the Superintendent or designee at a time set by the Board.  After reviewing the findings of the Superintendent or designee, the School Board may affirm, modify, or reverse the action of the Superintendent or designee.

EXPULSION APPEALS TO THE BOARD

Appeal Procedures

Parents/guardians are allowed five (5) days after the decision to expel has been rendered to request the Board to review the findings of the Superintendent.  Such appeal request shall be submitted in writing to the Superintendent of the Avoyelles Parish Public School System.

When the Superintendent receives the request for appeal, he/she will schedule an appeal hearing and notify the parents/guardians and the Committee full board of the appeal hearing date, time and location.

Parents/guardians must be present with the student to present their appeal. They may bring anyone to testify in their behalf and/or represent them.

The expulsion appeal shall be presented to the full Board at the end of the first regularly scheduled Board meeting.  The appeal will be added as an agenda item to be addressed.

The Board shall go into executive session in order to hear the expulsion appeal(s) as per the request of the parent.

Once the presentation of the expulsion appeal has been presented to the full Board, the Board will reconvene and vote to either uphold, reject, or modify the Superintendent’s decision to expel. The Board’s decision shall be made on a student-by-student basis.

Once the Committee hears the appeal, they will make recommendations to the full Board to either uphold, reject, or modify the Superintendent’s decision to expel.  The Board’s decision shall be made on a student-by-student basis.  

In order to facilitate and expedite expulsion appeal to the Avoyelles Parish School Board, appeals shall be handled in the following manner:

1.     An expulsion Appeal Committee consisting of three (3) Board members shall be appointed on a rotational basis with one (1) member appointed chairman of that committee. Chairmanship will also be on a rotational basis within each committee.

2.     Each Committee shall serve for one (1) month period.

3.     The Committee shall meet in the evening on the Thursday prior to the scheduled Board meeting beginning at 5:30 p.m.

4.     The Committee shall hear all expulsion appeals and make recommendation(s) to the full Board at the next meeting.

EXPULSION INVOLVING FIREARMS

Any student, age sixteen (16) or older, or under sixteen (16) and in grades six (6) through twelve (12), who is found guilty of being in possession of a firearm on school property, on a school bus or in actual possession at a school-sponsored event, pursuant to a hearing, shall be expelled from school for a minimum period of four (4) complete school semesters and shall be referred to the district attorney for appropriate action.

Any student in kindergarten through grade five (5) who is found guilty of being in possession of a firearm on school property, on a school bus, or in actual possession at a school-sponsored event, pursuant to a hearing, shall be expelled from school for a minimum period  of two (2) complete school semesters and shall be referred to the district attorney for appropriate action. 

The Superintendent, however, may modify the length of the minimum expulsion required in the above paragraphs on a case-by-case basis, provided such modification is in writing.

EXPULSION INVOLVING DRUGS

Any student, sixteen (16) years of age or older, found guilty of possession of, or knowledge of and intentional distribution of or possession with intent to distribute any illegal narcotic, drug, or other controlled substance on school property, on a school bus or at a school-sponsored event, pursuant to a hearing, shall be expelled from school for a minimum period of four (4) complete school semesters.

Any student who is under sixteen (16) years of age and in grades six (6) through twelve (12) and who is found guilty of possession of, or knowledge of and intentional distribution of or possession with intent to distribute any illegal narcotic, drug, or other controlled substance on school property, on a school bus, or at a school-sponsored event pursuant to a hearing shall be expelled from school for a minimum period of two (2) complete school semesters.

Any case involving a student in kindergarten through grade five (5) found guilty of possession of, or knowledge of and intentional distribution of or possession with intent to distribute any illegal narcotic, drug, or other controlled substance on school property, on a school bus, or at a school-sponsored event, pursuant to a hearing, shall be referred to the Board through a recommendation for action from the Superintendent.

ADDITIONAL REASONS FOR EXPULSION

Pupils may also be expelled for any of the following reasons:

Any pupil, after being suspended for committee violations of any discipline policies or other rule infractions, depending on the severity of the behavior, may be expelled upon recommendation to the Superintendent by the principal and after an appropriate hearing is held by the Superintendent or designee.

Any student who is found carrying or possessing a knife with a blade which equals or exceeds two (2) inches in length.

In accordance with federal regulations, a pupil determined to have brought a weapon to a school under the Board’s jurisdiction shall be expelled for a minimum of one calendar year.  The Superintendent may modify the expulsion requirement on a case-by-case basis.  A weapon, in accordance with federal statutes, means a firearm or any device which is designed to expel a projectile or any destructive device, which in turn means any explosive incendiary or poison gas, bomb, grenade, rocket, missile, mine or similar device.

Any student, after being suspended on three (3) occasions for committing any suspendable offense during the same school year, shall on committing the fourth offense, be expelled from all the public schools of the system until the beginning of the next regular school year, and the pupil’s reinstatement shall be subject to the review and approval of the Board.

The conviction of any pupil of a felony or the incarceration of any pupil in a juvenile institution for an act which had it been committed by an adult, would have constituted a felony, may be cause for expulsion of the pupil for a period of time as determined by the Board; such expulsions shall require the vote of two-thirds of the elected members of the Board.

EXPULSION NOT APPLICABLE

Expulsion shall not apply to the following:

A student carrying or possessing a firearm or knife for purpose of involvement in a school class, course, or school approved co-curricular or extracurricular activity or any other activity approved by appropriate school officials.

A student possessing any controlled dangerous substance that has been obtained directly or due to a valid prescription or order from a licensed physician.  However, such student shall carry evidence of that prescription or physician’s order on his/her person at all times when in possession of any controlled dangerous substance which shall be subject to verification.

In addition, school officials, in accordance with statutory provisions, shall have total discretion and shall exercise such discretion in imposing on a pupil any disciplinary actions authorized by state law for possession by a pupil of a firearm or knife on school property when such firearm or knife is stored in motor vehicle and there is no evidence of the pupil’s intent to use the firearm or knife in a criminal manner.

READMITTANCE FOLLOWING EXPULSION

Required Parent Conference

In each case of expulsion, the school principal, or his or her designee, shall contact the parent, tutor, or legal guardian of the pupil to notify them of the expulsion, and establish a date and time for a conference with the principal or designee as a requirement for readmitting the pupil.  Notice shall be given by sending a certified letter to the address shown on the pupil’s registration card. Also, additional notification may be made by contacting the parent, tutor, or legal guardian by telephone at the telephone number shown on the pupil’s registration card.

If the parent, tutor, or legal guardian fails to attend the required conference within five (5) school days of notification, the student may be considered a truant and dealt with according to all applicable statutory provisions.  On not more than one occasion each school year when the parents, tutor, or legal guardian refuses to respond, the principal may determine whether readmitting the pupil is in the best interest of the pupil.  On any subsequent occasions in the same school year, the pupil shall not be readmitted unless the parent, tutor, or legal guardian, court, or other appointed representative responds.

In any case where a teacher, principal, or other school employee is authorized to require the parent, tutor, or legal guardian of a pupil to attend a conference or meeting regarding the pupil’s behavior and after notice, the parent, tutor, or legal guardian willfully refuses to attend, the principal or his or her designee shall file a complaint, in accordance with statutory provisions, with a court exercising juvenile jurisdiction.

Readmittance After All Expulsions

Any pupil expelled may be readmitted to school on a probationary basis at any time during the expulsion period on such terms and conditions as may be stipulated by the School Board. Readmission to school on a probationary basis shall be contingent on the pupil and legal guardian or custodian agreeing in writing to the conditions stipulated. Any such agreement shall contain a provision for immediate removal of the pupil from school premises without benefit of a hearing or other procedure upon the principal or Superintendent determining the pupil has violated any condition agreed to.  Immediately thereafter, the principal or designee shall provide proper notification in writing of the determination and reasons for removal to the Superintendent and the pupil’s parent or legal guardian.

Readmittance After Expulsion for Firearms, Knives, Weapons, or Drugs

In addition to the readmittance provisions for all expulsions stated above, a pupil that has been expelled from any school in or out of state for possessing on school property or on a bus, a firearm, knife, or other dangerous weapon, or possessing or possession with intent to distribute or distributing, selling, giving, or loaning while on school property or a school bus any controlled dangerous substance shall not be enrolled or readmitted to any such school on a probationary basis prior to the completion of the period of expulsion until the pupil produces written documentation that he/she and his/her parent or legal guardian have enrolled and participated or is participating in an appropriate rehabilitation or counseling program related to the reason(s) for the pupil’s expulsion.  The rehabilitation or counseling programs shall be provided by such programs approved by the juvenile or family court having jurisdiction, if applicable, or by the School Board.  The requirement for enrollment and participation in a rehabilitation or counseling program shall be waived only upon a documented showing by the pupil that no appropriate program is available in the area or that the pupil cannot enroll or participate due to financial hardship.  

Review of Records

A pupil who has expelled from any school in or out of state shall not be admitted to a school in the school system except upon the review and approval of the School Board following the request for admission.  To facilitate the review and approval for readmittance, the pupil shall provide to the Board information on the dates of any expulsions and the reasons therefor.  Additionally, the transfer of pupil records to any school or system shall include information on the dates of any expulsions and the reasons therefor.

CREDIT FOR SCHOOL WORK MISSED

A student who is expelled and receives educational services at an alternative school site shall be assigned work by a certified teacher and shall receive credit for school work if it is completed satisfactorily and timely as determined by the teacher. Such work shall be aligned with the curriculum used at the school from which the student was expelled.

RECUSAL OF ADMINISTRATOR IN DISCIPLINE MATTERS

Any school administrator or administrator’s designee who is required to make a recommendation, decide an issue, or take action in a matter involving the discipline of a student shall recuse himself/herself whenever a member of the immediate family of the administrator or administrator’s designee is involved in any manner in the discipline matter.  In case of recusal, the action to be taken shall be done so by the Superintendent or a partial designee of the Superintendent.

Immediate family means the individual’s children, brothers, sisters, parents, and spouse and the children, brothers, sisters, and parents of the spouse.

EXPULSION OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Expulsion of students with disabilities shall be in accordance with applicable state or federal law and regulations.

The Executive Committee respectfully recommends the adoption of this report.

Freeman Ford, Chairman

Executive Committee

Discussion ensued. Regarding Item 1 of the Executive Committee Report, Mr. Robby Gaspard, Supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance, revealed the results from the Discipline Policy Committee Meeting .

Regarding the issue of expulsion involving firearms, Ms. Shelia Blackman-Dupas noted a discrepancy in the report involving the minimum length of time a student is to be expelled for this violation. Superintendent Dwayne Lemoine clarified that the School Board is to follow Louisiana RS:17, which stipulates the minimum expulsion requirement is four (4) complete school semesters. The state law can be more stringent than federal regulations.

On motion by Freeman Ford, seconded by Darrell Wiley, the Board adopted the Executive Committee Report as presented by Chairman Ford by the following vote:

Ayes:  Van Kojis, Carlos A. Mayeux, Jr., Freeman Ford, Darrell Wiley, James Gauthier, Lizzie Ned, Michael Lacombe, and Cynthia "Cindy" Hill.

Nays:  Shelia Blackman-Dupas.

Ms. Dupas stated her reason for voting “Nay” was because she felt the state statute in regards to expulsion for a weapon violation is extremely harsh.

17. Mr. James Gauthier, Chairman of the Education Committee, presented the following report:

Education Committee Report

November 15, 2011

The Education Committee of the Avoyelles Parish School Board met Tuesday, November 15, 2011, at 4:30 p.m. at the School Board Office with the following members present:

James Gauthier, Chairman; Carlos A. Mayeux, Jr., Darrell Wiley, Shelia Blackman-Dupas, Van Kojis, President; and Dwayne Lemoine, Superintendent.  Also present were Susan Welch and Randy Littleton, Supervisors; Luke Welch, SIS Coordinator; and Jessie Joubert of Ed Gear.

1)     Mr. Jessie Joubert of Ed Gear and Mr. Luke Welch, SIS Coordinator, demonstrated to the Education Committee the procedure used by parents to access the district’s “Student Progress Center”.  The “Student Progress Center” allows parents and guardians the opportunity to receive real time information on their child’s attendance, academic and behavioral progress at the school.

Mr. Joubert stated that JPAMS is an abbreviation for Java Principles and Administration Management System. He further explained that the parent will need a user name and password.  Both of these may be received by registering with the school in which the student is enrolled.  Mr. Joubert also stated that the parents can check daily for grades, absences, discipline, lessons, progress, transcript, curriculum fees, and tests.  Parents only have access to their child’s information.  Furthermore, the entire lesson plan is on this site as are test announcements and notes to the parents. State test scores are also posted.  This is a service offered to parents at no cost.

The committee did not take any action.

The Education Committee respectfully recommends the adoption of this report.

James Gauthier, Chairman

Education Committee

Mr. Michael Lacombe inquired as to how JPAMS would work in a situation where a student would be out of school for two (2) weeks due to illness, not long enough to be on homebound status. Mr. James Gauthier replied that all of the lesson plans are all online. Ms. Shelia Blackman-Dupas commented that it is a excellent system and encouraged parents to log in and access the information available regarding their children. Mr. Freeman Ford asked how parents are notified of this system. Superintendent Dwayne Lemoine replied that many connected messages have been sent to all parents, and flyers have been sent to each school to be distributed to parents to let them know this system is available and that it is a secure site.

On motion by James Gauthier, seconded by Shelia Blackman-Dupas, the Board adopted the Education Committee Report as presented by Chairman Gauthier.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

18. Mr. Craig Foster, Assistant Superintendent, presented a Desegregation Plan Implementation Progress Report, which will be presented to Judge Drell at the Federal Court Hearing on December 16, 2011. This Report consisted of student assignments for the Avoyelles Parish School System effective October 1, 2011, broken down by demographics and racial composition, MTM transfers, school charts, statistics for Bunkie New Tech High School, zone jumping activities reported as of October 1, and information on pupil transportation broken down by bus suspensions as of October 1 at each school. He also reported that the Court ordered that students attending LaSAS are allowed to participate in their home base school’s sports programs and other extracurricular activities. Mr. Foster had asked each principal to submit their schools’ activities, purpose, associated fees, and racial composition of each activity, and this information is included in the Report. He noted the Report also includes a section on facilities, allocation of resources, and the capital improvement plan for the next five (5) years. Administrative assignments as well as faculty assignments in the district, broken down by racial composition, are also noted in the Report.
    
    

19. Mr. Craig Foster, Assistant Superintendent, announced that there will be a Federal Court hearing on Friday, December 16, 2011, at 2:00 p.m.
    
    

20. On motion by Cynthia "Cindy" Hill, seconded by Darrell Wiley, the Board granted permission to advertise for the positions of school secretary and paraprofessionals.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
    
    

21. Superintendent Dwayne Lemoine presented personnel changes for the Board’s consideration, as follows:

On motion by Carlos A. Mayeux, Jr., seconded by Freeman Ford, the Board adopted the personnel changes as presented by Superintendent Lemoine.  MOTION CARRIED.

22. Mr. Steve Marcotte, Maintenance Supervisor, presented a bid-opening committee report on the leasing of Bayou Natchitoches.

Report of the Bid-Opening Committee

Leasing of Bayou Natchitoches

On Tuesday, November 30, 2011, at 1:30 p.m. a bid-opening committee met for the purpose of receiving bids for the leasing of Bayou Natchitoches Section.

Members serving on the committee were: Mary Bonnette, Director of Finance; Steven Marcotte, Maintenance Supervisor; James Gauthier, Board Member; Michael Lacombe, Board Member; and Cindy Hill, Board Member.

The committee acknowledged a bid from Randall Ducote in the amount of $18.38/acre. Mr. Marcotte noted that Mr. Ducote asked that the lease begin on May 1, 2012.

On motion by Dwayne Lemoine, seconded by Darrell Wiley, the Board accepted the bid as presented by the following vote:

Ayes:  Van Kojis, Carlos A. Mayeux, Jr., Darrell Wiley, James Gauthier, Lizzie Ned, Michael Lacombe, and Cynthia "Cindy" Hill.

Nays:  Shelia Blackman-Dupas and Freeman Ford.

Ms. Dupas stated the reason she voted “Nay” is because she is against leasing of the property and believes it should be open to the public.

23. On motion by Darrell Wiley, seconded by Carlos A. Mayeux, Jr., the Board agreed to go into Executive Session for the purpose of discussing a personnel matter and pending litigation (Esther Scallan versus Avoyelles Parish School Board).  MOTION CARRIED.

The Board reconvened in open public session at approximately 6:55 p.m.

Upon motion by Freeman Ford, seconded by Darrell Wiley, the Board agreed to settle the pending litigation as discussed in Executive Session. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

There being no further business, on motion by Freeman Ford, seconded by Van Kojis, the meeting was adjourned.

AVOYELLES PARISH SCHOOL BOARD

Van Kojis, President

Dwayne Lemoine, Secretary-Treasurer