By VICKIE JAMBON – Staff Reporter

LUTCHER – A school board meeting honoring year-long student success ended on with one woman calling for the firing of two Lutcher Elementary school teachers.

The St. James Parish School Board meeting was standing room only as parents and students packed together to receive awards presented for scholastic, sports and work-related achievements.

The evening soured, however, when Calebra Johnson came forward and asked the board to deal strictly with a Lutcher school teacher.

When Johnson went to the microphone, she was told by board president Willis A. Octave that she had five minutes to speak. Johnson, president of the Lutcher Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization, related April 21 and 22 instances where two white female teachers allegedly made some 30 predominately African-American students kneel down on hot concrete, as a punishment for bad behavior.

Johnson said the area where the students were made to kneel was infested with caterpillars and that such corporal punishment was abolished.

Johnson said that while the board had addressed the issue, the parents were disappointed with the outcome. Both teachers had been removed from teaching in the classroom and were appointed to assisting teachers with a reading program at the school.

The PTO president said the parents felt one of the teachers was truly sorry for her actions but that the other teacher had not shown significant remorse. Johnson said there had also been problems this teacher in the past but did not go into detail.

She said the parents are calling for three specific actions to take place in order for the situation to be vindicated – counseling provided for teachers and students; adequate apologies; and removal of one or more of the teachers by May 14.

Johnson said the parents were open for negotiations and resolutions, and added, “We are not helpless. but our children are.”

“We are going to have trials and tribulations,” said board member Richard G. Reulet Jr. in his closing comment. Board member Charles T. Major said, “We must have collaboration. We are one, whenever possible in every situation.”

Regina Woodland who attended the meeting with Johnson, later said a petition was being circulated, signed by some 500 individuals, which calls for the removal of the problem teachers from the school.

Superintendent Dr. P. Edward Cancienne said: “Difficulties don’t bother me. I want to do the right thing. If this means standing alone, I don’t mind standing alone. I will stand with teachers, if I am by myself. These are good teachers. They are excellent teachers. I am not intimidated by petitions.”

To make his point, during the board meeting, Cancienne said the schools had shown success year after year. He added the schools showed steady improvements on a road to excellence, as this year’s LEAP scores were an example of the overall improvements the schools were making.