By David Vitrano

L’Observateur

RESERVE – The St. John the Baptist Parish School Board took a step Thursday toward rectifying a situation that has put it in violation of state regulations.

According to board attorney Lloyd LeBlanc, Louisiana law stipulates that public agencies cannot donate public property to private organizations. This, he said, includes allowing such organizations to use public property free of charge.

LeBlanc said he sought out multiple opinions on the matter, and all came to the same conclusion.

Despite LeBlanc having warned the School Board about this situation numerous times, board members have repeatedly sought to waive fees at various public school properties for a variety of local organizations.

Thursday, west bank board representative Russell Jack asked the board to waive fees for the civic group Girls in Action to use the gymnasium at West St. John High School. The group recently sponsored a Back-to-School summit in the gymnasium, an act for which the board awarded the group a plaque of recognition.

Finally heeding LeBlanc’s warnings, board President Gerald Keller asked, “Legally, what do we do?”

To get around the legal snafu, the board ultimately decided to consider the event a school function since most of the participants would be west bank, public school students.

Nonetheless, the board sought to resolve such matters once and for all.

“This is coming up time after time after time, and we need to resolve this,” said board member Russ Wise.

Board members and school administration decided to establish a set fee for such usage to cover the use of electricity as well as janitorial work associated with the functions.

“I think we need to put that on the agenda as soon as possible,” said Keller.

LeBlanc said if the state were to crack down on the violations the penalty would likely be a slap on the wrist.

Also Thursday, Wise sought to create a “PTO row,” whereby the front row of seats at School Board meetings would be reserved for representatives of the parish’s parent-teacher organizations.

“We are badly in need of more parental participation,” said Wise.

Although a motion to waive policy to include the matter in the meeting’s proceedings passed, some board members opposed making the matter so formal instead preferring to send out an invitation to PTO members to attend School Board meetings.

“I just don’t want to pressure anybody,” said Matt Ory, who abstained from the final vote.

School Board meetings are open to the general public.

Ultimately, the motion to create PTO row failed.