ERIK SANZENBACH / L’Observateur / December 25, 1999

LUTCHER – The parents of some St. James Parish school children are up inarms over action taken by Superintendent Ed Cancienne – again.

Several months after parents boycotted west bank schools over Cancienne’s decision to move principal Ridgley Mitchell from St. JamesHigh School to an alternative school, another controversy and protest has flared up, this time over remarks Cancienne made to students at Romeville Elementary School about their Christmas pageant.

On Dec. 16 Cancienne attended a Christmas pageant put on by children frompre-kindergarten to eighth grade at Romeville Elementary. Each grade puton a separate play about Christmas in the school’s cafeteria, which also serves as an auditorium. About halfway through the performance thepublic address system went out, and parents said that was the only thing that went wrong at the pageant.

But when Cancienne was asked to say a few words after the performance, he didn’t have much praise for the students.

“You are all better than this at Romeville,” Cancienne told stunned children and parents. “If you took a play or two to another school, it would belaughed at. Some look like you put it together yesterday. Many of you didn’tknow your lines. We expect more of you. You are capable of doing more thanthis. We will accept nothing but your best.”Several students were upset at Cancienne’s statement.

“I felt very hurt when he said that,” said student Jonathan White. “We triedour best.”Jonathan’s sister, Ashley, couldn’t understand what Cancienne was upset about.

“We practiced for two weeks on two plays,” she said. “We worked hard.”Kenya Joseph, who has three brothers who attend Romeville Elementary, said Cancienne was not being fair to the students.

“The P.A. was working when the play started,” she said. “Cancienne came inafter the P.A. went out, and then he tells them he was very disappointed.”About 100 parents decided to show their displeasure the next day as they protested in front of the school. Led by the father of Jonathan and Ashley,Joseph White, the parents carried signs calling for Cancienne’s resignation.

“Dr. Cancienne showed one of the worst performances of an administratorI have ever seen,” said White. “It was totally unprofessional. It wasn’tright what he said to these children.”Later, Cancienne apologized for his remarks.

“I sincerely love children,” he said in a statement. “I am deeply committedto school improvement. I yearn for quality. Yesterday, I did a poor job ofcommunicating that message. It was an inappropriate setting to say that aschool is not performing. I regret saying it. I am very sorry. I sincerelyapologize for being critical. I will not waiver from my dedication to thestudents at Romeville and the students throughout this parish.”But the apology didn’t appease the angry parents. Joseph said they plan tocontinue the protest after school resumes in January.

Jackie Levy, head of the Concerned Citizens Committee which organized last fall’s boycott of St. James High, said her group is supporting theRomeville Elementary parents.

“Those parents were very proud of their children,” said Levy. “They hadbrought flowers and presents to give to them after the performance, and he has to go and say those things.”Levy said she is convinced Cancienne made the remarks on purpose.

“He was attempting to discredit Geneva Landry,” Levy said.

Landry is the principal of Romeville Elementary and also the wife of Walter Landry, the former superintendent of St. James Parish Schools. Earlier this year the St. James School Board refused to extend Landry’scontract and hired Cancienne as the new head man. Landry has filed a civilrights lawsuit against the board, claiming it violated his rights.

“Cancienne was hired to be an assassin,” said Levy.

The Concerned Citizens Committee has been very critical of Cancienne’s administration every since he removed the principal of St. James High.”I’m hoping he will get fired,” said Levy, “and we will continue to protest at Romeville and St. James High until Cancienne is fired and RidgelyMitchell is returned to St. James High.”

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