The Parish School Board of the Parish of Lafourche, State of Louisiana, met in regular session at its regular meeting place, the Parish School Board Office, located at 805 East Seventh Street, Thibodaux, Louisiana, on Wednesday, February 3, 1999, at 7:00 p.m.

The Parish School Board for the Parish of Lafourche, State of Louisiana, was duly convened as the governing authority of Consolidated School District No. 1 of the Parish of Lafourche, State of Louisiana, by The Honorable Judy G. Theriot. Ms. Martha Zeringue led the board and the audience in the opening prayer and Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

Present for roll call were: Mr. Louis E. Thibodaux (District 1); Ms. Rhoda Caldwell (District 2); Ms. Martha S. Zeringue (District 4); Mr. G. A. Rodrigue, Jr. (District 6); Mr. Dave J. DeFelice, Jr. (District 8); Dr. Judy G. Theriot (District 7); Mr. Aubrey J. Orgeron (District 12); Ms. Loretta Duplantis (District 9); Mr. Dennis Jean’ Chiasson (District 10); Mr. Roy Landry (District 11); Mr. John Danos (District 13); Mr. Paul Chiquet (District 14); Ms. Rebecca Duet (District 15).

Absent were: Ms. Constance T. Williams (District 3); Mr. Jessie Fabiano (District 5).

On motion of Ms. Zeringue, seconded by Mr. Chiquet and unanimously carried, the board approved minutes of school board meeting held January 6, 1999, as recorded.

The board recognized the parish Student of the Year winners for the elementary, middle/junior high, and senior high school divisions, as follows: Dustin Paul Faucheux, Grade 5, Golden Meadow Middle School; Ashley Marie Borne, Grade 8, East Thibodaux Junior High School; and Kristal Michelle Bourgeois, Grade 12, Central Lafourche High School. On behalf of the board, Superintendent Duplantis and President Theriot presented plaques to each of the three parish winners.

Next, the board recognized Aaron Michael Larose, 11^th grade student at Thibodaux High School, for being selected to serve as Student Representative on the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) for 1999.

The board recognized Lindsay Melancon, 12^th grade student at Thibodaux High School, for serving as President of the Louisiana Association of Student Councils for the 1998-99 school year.

The board then recognized recipients of the 1998-99 QSM Awards, as follows: Ms. Jill Arabie, Golden Meadow Lower Elementary School, Math Award; Ms. Celeste Savoie, Golden Meadow Lower Elementary School, Math Award; and Ms. Sheila Fletcher, Thibodaux High School, Science Award.

Next, the board recognized Lindsay Melancon and Jaret Hubbell, 12^th grade students at Thibodaux High School, for receiving the Dale Hawley Award at the recent state student council convention.

The board recognized Dr. William Swann, school social worker, for being nominated as School Social Worker of the Year in Louisiana.

The board then recognized Ms. Mary Anne Bouterie, school nurse, for her efforts in securing a Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Grant Award for Lafourche Parish schools.

President Theriot gave the following report of the Advisory Committee, as per meeting held February 1, 1999:

The Advisory Committee of the Lafourche Parish School Board met at its regular meeting place, the Parish School Board Office, located at 805 East Seventh Street, Thibodaux, Louisiana, February 1, 1999, at 5:00 p. m.

The following committee members were present: Dr. Judy Theriot, Mr. Aubrey Orgeron, Mr. Dennis Chiasson, Ms. Rebecca Duet, and Ms. Martha Zeringue.

There were absent: None.

Dr. Theriot called upon Superintendent Malcolm Duplantis to discuss the request to approve two motions to present to the board at its February meeting. Dr. Duplantis explained to the committee that presently regular counsel and a third party administrator handle all settlements of workers’ compensation claims. He further explained that the board does not have a policy to authorize the superintendent to accept workers’ compensation settlements after consultation with regular counsel or third party administrator. He said that on advice of counsel he is requesting that such a board policy be established. After a short discussion, a motion was offered by Ms. Zeringue, seconded by Mr. Orgeron, to recommend to the board to authorize the superintendent to settle workers’ compensation claims after consultation with regular counsel and third party administrator. The motion passed unanimously.

Dr. Duplantis next explained that his second request for a motion addresses the need to establish a policy to authorize the superintendent to settle claims involving litigation against the Lafourche Parish School Board with a maximum amount not to exceed $50,000. After a lengthy discussion, the committee decided not to take action on this issue at the present time and discuss the matter with the board’s attorneys.

The committee reviewed agenda items for the February 3, 1999, meeting of the Lafourche Parish School Board.

The committee next discussed a request by Ms. Dorothy Murray to include on the agenda a specific board resolution/recognition. After a short discussion, the committee decided not to include the item on the agenda.

There being no other official business, on motion of Mr. Chiasson, seconded by Ms. Duet and unanimously carried, the committee meeting was adjourned at 6:00 p.m.

The committee has approved the following item and submits it to the board for consideration:

On motion of Mr. Orgeron, seconded by Ms. Zeringue and unanimously carried, the board authorized the superintendent to settle workers’ compensation claims after consultation with regular counsel and third party administrator. After consultation with the superintendent, President Theriot noted that approval of the committee’s recommendation as presented would establish a new policy; and, therefore, the board could not take formal action on approval of a new policy until the next board meeting (as stipulated in Policy Title 1:2.1). The president stated that the board would vote (again) on approval of the policy at the March meeting.

The following resolution was offered by Mr. John Danos and seconded by Ms. Rhoda Caldwell:

BE IT RESOLVED by the Parish School Board of the Parish of Lafourche, State of Louisiana (the "Governing Authority"), acting as the governing authority of Consolidated School District No. 1 of the Parish of Lafourche, State of Louisiana (the "District"), that:

SECTION 1. Canvass. This Governing Authority does now proceed in open and public session to examine the official tabulations of votes cast at the special election held in the District on SATURDAY, JANUARY 16, 1999, to authorize the levy of special taxes therein, and said Governing Authority does further proceed to examine and canvass the returns and declare the results of the special election.

SECTION 3. Promulgation of Election Results. The results of said election shall be promulgated by publication in the manner provided by law.

This resolution having been submitted to a vote, the vote thereon was as follows:

And the resolution was declared adopted on this, the 3rd day of February, 1999.

PROCES VERBAL AND PROCLAMATION OF THE CANVASS OF THE VOTES CAST AT THE SPECIAL ELECTION HELD IN CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 1 OF THE PARISH OF LAFOURCHE, STATE OF LOUISIANA, ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 16, 1999.

BE IT KNOWN AND REMEMBERED that on Wednesday, February 3, 1999, at seven o'clock (7:00) p.m., at its regular meeting place, the Parish School Board Office, Thibodaux, Louisiana, the Parish School Board of the Parish of Lafourche, State of Louisiana (the "Governing Authority"), acting as the governing authority of Consolidated School District No. 1 of the Parish of Lafourche, State of Louisiana (the "District"), and being the authority ordering the special election held therein on Saturday, January 16, 1999, with the following members present:

Dr. Judy G. Theriot, President and School Board members Louis E. Thibodaux, Rhoda Caldwell, Martha S. Zeringue, G. A. Rodrigue, Jr., Dave J. DeFelice, Jr., Loretta Duplantis, Dennis Jean’ Chiasson, Roy Landry, Aubrey J. Orgeron, John Danos, Paul Chiquet and Rebecca Duet;

There being absent: Constance T. Williams, Jessie Fabiano;

did, in open and public session, examine the official certified tabulations of votes cast at the said election, and did examine and canvass the returns of the said election, there having been submitted at said election the following propositions, to wit:

There was found by said count and canvass that the following votes had been cast at the said special election IN FAVOR OF and AGAINST, respectively, the propositions as hereinabove set forth at the following polling places, to-wit:

The polling places above specified being the only polling places designated at which to hold the said election, it was therefore shown that

THUS DONE AND SIGNED at Thibodaux, Louisiana, on this, the 3rd day of February, 1999.

I, the undersigned President of the Parish School Board of the Parish of Lafourche, State of Louisiana, the governing authority of Consolidated School District No. 1 of the Parish of Lafourche, State of Louisiana (the "District"), do hereby declare, proclaim and announce that Proposition No. 1 submitted at the special election held in the District on Saturday, January 16, 1999, was duly CARRIED; that Proposition No. 2 was duly CARRIED and that Proposition No. 3 was duly CARRIED by a majority of the votes cast at the said special election, all as described and set out in the above Proces Verbal.

THUS DONE AND SIGNED at Thibodaux, Louisiana, on this, the 3rd day of February, 1999.

President Theriot called on the superintendent to offer his recommendation on the appointment of someone to fill the vacancy for Assistant Principal at Raceland Upper Elementary School. The superintendent recommended Ms. Donna Bergeron for appointment to the position. Ms. Duet offered a motion, seconded by Mr. DeFelice, to accept the superintendent’s recommendation. A vote was then taken, and the motion was unanimously carried. Accordingly, Ms. Bergeron was appointed to the position of Assistant Principal at Raceland Upper Elementary School, effective February 4, 1999. President Theriot called on Ms. Bergeron, who thanked the board members for their vote of confidence.

President Theriot then called on Supervisor Leonard St. Pierre to report on bids received February 2, 1999, for a full bridge simulator for the Marine Operations Program at South Lafourche High School. Supervisor St. Pierre reported that only one bid was received, as follows:

Name of Bidder: Nautilus Education Systems

(Seattle, Washington)

Bid Amount: $70,000

On motion of Ms. Duplantis, seconded by Mr. Orgeron and unanimously carried, the board accepted the bid of Nautilus Education Systems (of Seattle, Washington) in the amount of $70,000, as recommend by Supervisor St. Pierre.

Next, President Theriot asked Supervisor St. Pierre to report on bids received February 2, 1999, for welding equipment for Central Lafourche High School and Thibodaux High School. Supervisor St. Pierre reported that only one bid was received, as follows:

On motion of Mr. Chiquet, seconded by Ms. Duplantis and unanimously carried, the board accepted the bid of Gulf States AirGas (of Thibodaux, LA) in the amount of $18,288.96, as recommended by Supervisor St. Pierre.

Ms. Zeringue offered a motion, seconded by Mr. Danos, to appoint the following members to serve on the Pupil Progression Plan Parents’ Advisory Committee for the 1999-2000 school year: Mr. Jerry Arabie, Ms. Lila Arsan, Ms. Julie Clement, Mr. Robert Johnson, Mr. Louis Kovar, Ms. Deanna Oncale, Ms. Ginger Persilver, Ms. Hope Rodrigue, Ms. Jacinta Ruffin, Ms. Rosalie Shaw, Ms. Linda Thibodaux, Ms. Zita Badeaux, Ms. Angela Eusea, Ms. JoAnn Falgout, Ms. Tammy Guidry, Ms. Felicia Matherne, Ms. Shandra Streams, Ms. Tracy Adams, Ms. Beatrice Berryhill, Ms. Wanda Birdsall, Ms. Melanie Boulet, Ms. Gay Bouzigard, Ms. Rebecca Cheramie, Mr. Ray Collins, Ms. Shannon Guidry, Mr. Joel Hanberry, Ms. Angelique Hebert, Ms. Kari Melancon, Ms. Elizabeth Toups, and Ms. Maggie Tran. After a brief discussion, a vote was taken on the motion. Ms. Zeringue’s motion was unanimously carried.

President Theriot called on Business Manager Don Gaudet, who presented proposed changes to the qualifications and performance responsibilities for the position of Deputy Sales Tax Collector (as listed in the Business Department Handbook). Business Manager noted that the proposed changes were mailed to the board members, as well as members of the Sales and Use Tax Oversight Committee, in advance. He then asked for a two-thirds vote to waive the waiting period for the amendment of policies in order for the board to approved the proposed changes (tonight). Mr. Rodrigue then offered a motion, seconded by Ms. Duet, to waive the waiting period for the amendment of policies, as specified in Item 5 of Policy Title 1:2.1. The motion was unanimously carried. Mr. Chiquet then offered a motion, seconded by Ms. Duet, to approve the changes to the qualifications and performance responsibilities as presented. A brief discussion followed regarding the proposed changes, at the end of which a vote was taken on Mr. Chiquet’s motion. The motion was unanimously carried; accordingly, the qualifications and performance responsibilities for the position of Deputy Sales Tax Collector were amended as follows:

• B.S. degree in Accounting or Business Administration with a minimum of twenty-seven semester hours in accounting and or finance;
• Proficiency in the use of microcomputers, mainframe computer terminal and other business machines;
• Possess good communication and mathematical skills;
• Ability to exercise judgment in making decisions in accordance with policies and practices of the Business Department;
• Ability to prioritize goals and be self-motivated;
• Three years experience in tax collecting, Master’s degree in Business Administration or CPA certificate desirable;
• Qualifications should not be established for the individual but rather for the position.

• Supervises operation of sales tax office and is responsible for proper accounting of funds,
• Determines staffing requirements and implements the department's operating budget,
• Collects sales tax according to tax ordinance and intergovernmental agreement and deposits the receipts with the Board’s fiscal agent;
• Maintains proper records of collections for reporting and audit purposes;
• Works with the Sales and Use Tax Collection Committee including preparing all necessary reports for its meetings and recommends changes to the Sales and Use Tax Collection Agreement.
• Prepares monthly report of collections on a comparable basis for each governmental agency;
• Retains all records and receipts in a secure place when not in use;
• Develops a system to enable taxpayers an opportunity to pay their taxes without penalty and resolves tax problems and complaints in a equitable manner;
• Consults with the appropriate legal counsel on any legal matter pertaining to interpretation and enforcement of tax laws;
• Issues monthly checks to each governmental agency for sales tax collected;
• Assists in data entry of sales tax returns and new businesses, opening mail, checking returns and checks;
• Processes request for credits and refunds;
• Processes assessments for sales tax audits by internal auditor;
• Provides outside auditors information on prospective audits, sends out letters on audits and maintains a record of collections and expenditures pertaining to them;
• Maintains inventory of various supplies for the sales tax office;
• Answers telephone and receive visitors in a courteous and efficient manner;
• Works cooperatively and in harmony with administrators and co-workers;
• Maintains confidentiality of office business;
• Performs other duties in the Business Department as required.

The Superintendent reserves the right to change the job and any other duties, as required, with advance written notification.

President Theriot called on Supervisor Gary Babin to report on the proposed policy on test security. Supervisor Babin stated that a new test security policy was recently adopted by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education; and, as a result, each school board is required to adopt a district test security policy that is in compliance with BESE’s policy. He then presented the following proposed policy for the board’s consideration:

1. Tests administered by Lafourche Parish School Board through the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education shall include, but not be limited to:

2. All criterion-referenced tests (CRTs) and norm-referenced tests (NRTs).

1. It shall be a violation of test security for any individual having access to tests to do any of the following:

1. Administer tests in a manner that is inconsistent with the administrative instructions

provided by Lafourche Parish School Board and the Louisiana Department of

Education (LDE);

2. Give examinees in any manner access to test questions prior to testing; NO ONE IS TO EXAMINE ANY TEST ITEM PRIOR TO THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE TEST;
3. Copy, reproduce, and/or use in any manner inconsistent with test regulations all or any part of any secure test booklet or any answer document;
4. Coach examinees in any manner what so ever during testing and/or alter and/or interfere with examinees' responses in any manner;
5. Provide answers or any part of answers to students in any manner during the test,

including provision of cues, clues, hints, and/or actual answers of any part thereof in

any form --written, printed, verbal or nonverbal;

6. Administer published parallel or current forms of a test (e.g., Forms K, L, and M of

The Iowa Tests) as a practice test; such parallel forms of a test must be kept in a

predetermined, locked, secure area in each school;

7. Fail to follow security regulations for distribution and return of secure test booklets

8. Fail to account for and secure test materials or any part thereof before, during, or after testing; all secure materials must be kept in a locked storage area at the schools; secure materials MUST NEVER be left in open areas or unattended;
9. Conduct testing in environments that differ from the usual classroom environment without prior written permission from the Louisiana Department of Education, Division of Student Standards and Assessments;
10. Fail to report any testing irregularities to the District Test Coordinator (a "testing

irregularity" is any incident in test handling or administration that leads to a question

regarding the security of the test or the accuracy of the test data);

11. Participate in, direct, aid, counsel, assist in, encourage, or fail to report any of the acts prohibited in this section or any self evident breech of testing security.

3. The Lafourche Parish School Board, in compliance with the examination program

administration manuals as provided by the Louisiana Department of Education, shall

assure that:

1. Test materials including test booklets, answer documents, test administrators' manuals, observational answers, video tapes, and completed observation sheets shall be stored in a predetermined, secure, locked area before, during, and after testing;
2. An annual in-service on test security and test administration shall be provided by the

district test coordinator for all individuals with access to test materials (access to

test materials by school personnel means handling the materials but does not include

reviewing tests or analyzing test items, which are prohibited); school testing

coordinators shall in turn in-service all school level personnel having access to testing

materials on security and administration;

3. Authorized personnel on the school level having access to the locked, secure storage

area shall include principals, his/her designees, and school test coordinators;

4. Any testing irregularities, (especially erasure analysis) shall be investigated by the district test coordinator along with the school principal, school testing coordinator and any other personnel involved.

3. Test materials shall be kept secure and accounted for in accordance with the procedure

1. All test booklets and answer documents shall be kept in a predetermined, secure, locked storage area as determined by the principal, prior to and after administration of any test; test administrators are to be given access to the tests only on the day the test is to be administered, and the tests are to be retrieved immediately after testing is completed for the day and stored in a locked, secure location each day of testing;

7. Testing shall be conducted in class-sized groups regarding student testing in grades K-12. Smaller class-size groups shall be provided for exceptional students. Permission for testing in environments that differ from the usual classroom environment shall be obtained in writing from the Louisiana Department of Education, Division of Student Standards and Assessments at least thirty (30) days prior to testing. If the Division of Student Standards and Assessments approves testing outside the usual classroom environment, the school board shall provide at least one proctor for every thirty (30) students.

1. a. Improbable achievement of test score gains in consecutive years;

1. Situations in which collaboration between or among individuals may occur during the

testing process;

2. A verification of the number of all tests distributed and the number of tests returned;
3. Excessive erasures for multiple-choice tests;
4. Any violation to written composition or open-ended responses that involves

Plagiarism;

5. Any other situation which may result in suspect test results.

10. In cases where test results are not accepted because of breach of test security or action by the Louisiana Department of Education, any programmatic, evaluative, or graduation criteria dependent upon the data shall be deemed not to have been met.

13. Anyone involved in the presentation and/or preparation of forged, counterfeit, or altered identification for the purposes of obtaining admission to a test administration site for any test administered by Lafourche Parish School Board or through the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education or the Louisiana Department of Education shall have breached test security. Any individual(s) who knowingly causes or allows the presentation of forged, counterfeit, or altered identification for the purpose of obtaining admission to any test administration site shall forfeit all test scores and will be allowed to retake the test at the next test administration.

Supervisor Babin advised the board that the superintendent must submit, by March 1, 1999, a statement of assurance regarding the district’s test security policy. He stated that the proposed policy is in compliance with the guidelines set forth by BESE and has been approved by the supervisory staff, the Accountability Committee, Mr. Joseph Bertrand, and Mr. James Prescott of Forethought Consulting, Inc. Supervisor Babin then requested that the proposed policy be adopted (tonight) and submitted to BESE as the official Lafourche Parish School Board Test Security Policy. President Theriot, noting that this involves the adoption of a new policy which must be submitted to BESE by March 1, then asked for a two-thirds vote to waive the waiting period. Mr. Chiasson offered a motion, seconded by Mr. Rodrigue, to waive the waiting period for the approval of a new policy, as specified in Item 5 of Policy Title 1:2.1. The motion was unanimously carried. Mr. Thibodaux then offered a motion, seconded by Ms. Duet, to approve the Lafourche Parish School Board Test Security Policy as presented. A brief discussion followed. At the end of the discussion, a vote was taken on Mr. Thibodaux’s motion. The motion was unanimously carried.

President Theriot called on Mr. Danos, who addressed the board regarding the establishment of a new board committee to be known as the Policy and Procedure Committee. At the end of his presentation, Mr. Danos offered a motion, seconded by Mr. Orgeron, to establish the Policy and Procedure Committee of the Lafourche Parish School Board. A discussion followed regarding functions of the committee. President Theriot stated that, if approved by the board, the committee would really need to begin working immediately on the revisions of the Policy Manual. The president then asked for a two-thirds vote to waive the waiting period for the amendment of policies. Mr. Danos then offered a motion, seconded by Mr. Chiquet, to waive the waiting period for the amendment of policies, as specified in Item 5 of Policy Title 1:2.1. The motion was unanimously carried. A discussion then followed regarding Mr. Danos’ motion to establish the committee. Mr. DeFelice stated that heretofore he has not seen any problems regarding policy revisions; and the establishment of an additional committee was not needed at this time. A vote was then taken on Mr. Danos’ motion. The motion was carried, although not unanimously – one dissenting vote was cast by Mr. DeFelice. Accordingly, the Policy and Procedure Committee was established, thus amending Policy Title 1:2.1.h., "Committee meetings," as follows:

3. Insurance Committee
4. Policy and Procedure Committee

Committees of the board shall meet at least quarterly, provided that the president, superintendent or committee chairpersons have the authority to call special meetings should the need arise.

The board president shall appoint committee members and designate chairpersons for the Finance, Insurance, Policy and Procedure, and Transportation Committees.

At this time, President Theriot appointed the following members to serve on the Policy and Procedure Committee: Mr. John Danos; Ms. Loretta Duplantis; Ms. Rhoda Caldwell; Mr. Dave DeFelice, Jr.; and Mr. Louis Thibodaux, who will serve as chairperson.

On motion of Mr. Chiasson, seconded by Ms. Caldwell and unanimously carried, the board proclaimed the following observances in Lafourche Parish schools:

On motion of Ms. Caldwell, seconded by Ms. Duplantis and unanimously carried, the board authorized school board members, the superintendent, and selected students from the parish high schools to participate in the annual Lafourche Parish Student Government Day Program; and adopted the following resolution in connection therewith:

WHEREAS, the fifth annual Lafourche Parish Student Government Day Program will be held on Tuesday, April 6, 1999; and

WHEREAS, this program, held in conjunction with the Thibodaux Mayor for a Day Program, involves high school students ceremonially assuming the offices of public officials—including the superintendent and school board members; and

WHEREAS, each high school devises a selection process to determine which students will participate and an election is held so that all students are given the opportunity to participate in the election process either as candidates or voters; and

WHEREAS, the benefits from this worthwhile program are many, and participating students from the various high schools get to meet one another and learn about parish government; now, therefore

BE IT RESOLVED that the Lafourche Parish School Board hereby authorizes and encourages the members of the board, the superintendent, and those students selected from the parish high schools to participate in the Lafourche Parish Student Government Day Program on Tuesday, April 6, 1999.

On motion of Ms. Zeringue, seconded by Ms. Duet and unanimously carried, the board adopted the following resolution:

WHEREAS, St. Luke developed into a full parish with church, school, and gymnasium and opened its doors to the youth of the area through school and community activities; and

WHEREAS, in 1967, when the process of integration in the schools began, the diocesan officials expressed the willingness of the local Church to implement integration in the entire pattern of Catholic activity, and St. Luke Parish was closed; and

WHEREAS, under Bishop Warren Boudreaux, Bishop of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, St. Luke Parish was reopened in 1985 under the direction of the Josephite Fathers; and

WHEREAS, in June of 1997, under Bishop Michael Jarrell, Bishop of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, St. Luke Church became linked with St. Joseph Co-Cathedral, with Msgr. Francis J. Amedee, Pastor, and Sister Nancy McNemar, S.S.N.D, Pastoral Associate; and

WHEREAS, in January of 1999, the parishioners of St. Luke Church proudly celebrated 75 years of Catholic life in Thibodaux; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED that the Lafourche Parish School Board congratulates St. Luke Catholic Church on its 75^th anniversary; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Lafourche Parish School Board extends its best wishes and congratulations to the parishioners of St. Luke as they celebrate 75 years of dedicated service to God and the community.

On motion of Ms. Duplantis, seconded by Mr. Chiasson and unanimously carried, the board appointed the following personnel:

23. Ms. Claudia Stewart, teacher [Pre K (8g)], Bayou Blue Elementary School, effective January 13, 1999, through June 2, 1999

29. Ms. Angela Boudreaux, teacher (substituting for Marilyn Brown), Raceland Upper

Elementary School, effective January 13, 1999, through June 2, 1999

30. Ms. Lisa Ordoyne, special education teacher, Raceland Upper Elementary School

effective January 13, 1999, through June 2, 1999

Ms. Zeringue noted that it is time for the stadium inspections.

The superintendent presented sales tax figures for the month of January, 1999.

The superintendent announced that the school system would again be participating in the Louisiana School Boards Association Artwork Contest. He noted that the 1^st place artworks from the three categories have been sent to LSBA to represent Lafourche Parish in the state competition; and the artworks will be displayed and judged at the 1999 State LSBA Convention in the Riverfront Center in Alexandria, March 4-6. Superintendent Duplantis invited the board members and the audience to view the 2^nd and 3^rd place parish winning artworks currently being displayed in the school board office lobby.

The board received the draft of the Lafourche Parish School Board Policy Manual as revised by Forethought Consulting, Inc.

On motion of Mr. Chiasson, seconded by Mr. Danos and unanimously carried, the board entered executive session at 8:01 p.m. to discuss litigation, pursuant to 42:6.1.A.(2) – specifically, Class-Action Settlement in Federal Litigation named "MDL 1206-Lease Oil Antitrust Litigation (II)."

On motion of Mr. Chiasson, seconded by Mr. DeFelice and unanimously carried, the board returned to regular session at 8:30 p.m.

Mr. Orgeron then offered the following motion:

Mr. Orgeron’s motion was seconded by Mr. Thibodaux and unanimously carried.

On motion of Mr. Chiquet, seconded by Mr. Chiasson and unanimously carried, the board entered executive session at 8:31 p.m. to discuss allegations of misconduct, pursuant to R. S. 42:6.1.A.(4).

On motion of Mr. DeFelice, seconded by Mr. Danos and unanimously carried, the board returned to regular session at 9:25 p.m.

Mr. Orgeron then offered the following motion:

Mr. Rodrigue then offered a motion, seconded by Mr. Landry, to authorize the superintendent to grant employee 99-4 a tenure hearing. A vote was then taken on Mr. Rodrigue’s motion. The motion was carried, although not unanimously – one dissenting vote was cast by Mr. Chiquet.

Mr. Chiquet requested that a report be given to the board on the satellite lunch program in the lower part of the parish. He stated that the satellite program was supposed to be an experimental program and asked that the report include the pros and cons of what was found.

Mr. Chiquet then asked about school janitors – specifically, he asked who is the person responsible for handling concerns involving janitors? The superintendent responded that school janitors come under the direct responsibility of the school principal. Mr. Chiquet asked if the school principal could not handle a concern, then who would be the next person to be contacted. Superintendent Duplantis stated that if it was a personnel issue, the principal should contact his/her immediate supervisor (in accordance with the Accountability Program).

There being no further business, on motion of Ms. Zeringue, seconded by Ms. Caldwell and unanimously carried, the meeting was adjourned at 9:32 p.m.