ERIK SANZENBACH / L’Observateur / August 30, 1999

ST.JAMES – St. James Schools Superintendent P. Joseph Cancienne has saidhe will start taking legal action against the parents who are keeping their children out of school in protest of Ridgely Mitchell’s transfer out of St.

James High School. State law prohibits anyone from causing the absenceof a child from school.

According to Cancienne, after 10 days all parents keeping their children out of school will be in violation of the law. But what he plans to do is notexactly clear. St. James Parish Assistant District Attorney ThomasKleibert Jr., said he could not discuss the case because he would beviolating client-attorney privilege since the St. James District Attorney’sOffice is working with the School Board.

St. James Parish Sheriff Willy Martin Jr. said the process of prosecutingall the parents would take some time. First, Cancienne has to call up allthe parents and ask each one of them why there child is not in school. Thenhe has to give the names of the parents who are willfully keeping children out of school to the district attorney’s office. Prosecutors then go tocourt and a judge has to call up each one of the parents and demand to know why their children are not in school.

However, Martin said emphatically, “I will not be loading up a paddy wagon with parents and taking them to jail. It will not happen that way.”What the sheriff will do, he said, is help in the court proceedings and go get parents who do not answer the summons. But that is it.”I was hoping that this would get resolved soon,” Martin said. “At least Iam glad to see that the protests have been peaceful.”

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