Regular School Board Meeting

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

1. Opening of Meeting

Procedural: A. Call to Order

Meeting called to order at 6:00 p.m.

Procedural: B. Invocation by Mrs. Tina Naquin Babin, District 3

Procedural: C. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag

Procedural: D. Roll Call

Members present

Myron Wright, Tina Babin, Marian Fertitta, Clyde Duplantis, Valerie Bourgeois, Henry Lafont, Leslie Wells, BuffyLynn Charpentier

(Clyde Duplantis entered the meeting at 6:12 p.m.)

Member absent

Dr. Dennis Guillot

Others Present

Superintendent: Mr. Jarod W. Martin; Board Attorney: Mr. Patrick Amedee; Supervisory Staff: Chris Arnold, Tanya Bolton, Jared Breaux, Kelly Burlette, John Cheramie, Greg Cook, Andre Delcambre, Kenny Delcambre, Jimi Encalade, Barry Filce, Tiffany Guy, Robby Lee, Lacy McKinney

2. Awards/Recognition

Recognition: A. LPSD Student, Staff, and Group Recognitions

(Complete awards agenda available on BoardDocs)

3. Approval of Minutes and Observances/Proclamations

Action, Minutes: A. Minutes of Regular Board Meeting held Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Motion by Valerie Bourgeois, second by Myron Wright.

Final Resolution: Motion Carried

Yea: Myron Wright, Tina Babin, Marian Fertitta, Clyde Duplantis, Valerie Bourgeois, Henry Lafont, Leslie Wells, BuffyLynn Charpentier

Action (Consent): B. Observances in schools: Retired Teachers Day, March 20, 2025; World Down Syndrome Day, March 21, 2025; Paint the Parish Purple Day, March 28, 2025; Paraprofessional Appreciation Day, April 3, 2025; National School Librarian Day, April 4, 2025; National Assistant Principals' Week, April 7-11, 2025

To approve Observances in schools: Retired Teachers Day, March 20, 2025; World Down Syndrome Day, March 21, 2025; Paint the Parish Purple Day, March 28, 2025; Paraprofessional Appreciation Day, April 3, 2025; National School Librarian Day, April 4, 2025; National Assistant Principals' Week, April 7-11, 2025

Motion by Leslie Wells, second by Tina Babin.

Final Resolution: Motion Carried

Yea: Myron Wright, Tina Babin, Marian Fertitta, Clyde Duplantis, Valerie Bourgeois, Henry Lafont, Leslie Wells, BuffyLynn Charpentier

4. Memorial Resolutions

A. Mr. Roy Guillot - Retired Teacher

RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Almighty God, in His infinite wisdom, has seen fit to summon to eternal rest the spirit and soul of Mr. Roy Guillot a retired teacher; and

WHEREAS, his life was a record of service faithfully performed, during which he worked in Lafourche Parish schools for a total of fifteen years, having been employed as a Special Education Teacher at The Opportunity Place on October 19, 1979. Mr. Guillot also worked at Raceland Middle School and East Thibodaux School in the PASS program, serving Lafourche Parish School District until his retirement on September 25, 1994; and

WHEREAS, he dedicated contributions in the field of education to the people of this parish were greatly appreciated by all who knew him; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED that we, the members of the Lafourche Parish School Board, express our sorrow at the loss sustained by the death of a friend and former employee and extend to the members of his family our deepest sympathy, and bid them take consolation in the thought that his soul has been taken unto the bosom of our Merciful Savior; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this tribute of respect to the memory of Mr. Roy Guillot be recorded on a special page of our minute book and that a copy thereof be presented to his family as evidence of our sympathy for them and as a reminder of our attachment to him in life and memory of him in death.

B. Mr. Buddy Lambert - Retired Bus Driver

RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Almighty God, in His infinite wisdom, has seen fit to summon to eternal rest the spirit and soul of Mr. Buddy Lambert, a retired bus driver; and

WHEREAS, his life was a record of service faithfully performed, during which he worked in Lafourche Parish schools for a total of twenty-five years, beginning August 22, 1985, until his retirement on October 11, 2010; and

BE IT RESOLVED that we, the members of the Lafourche Parish School Board, express our sorrow at the loss sustained by the death of a friend and former employee and extend to the members of his family our deepest sympathy, and bid them take consolation in the thought that his soul has been taken unto the bosom of our Merciful Savior; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this tribute of respect to the memory of Mr. Buddy Lambert be recorded on a special page of our minute book and that a copy thereof be presented to his family as evidence of our sympathy for them and as a reminder of our attachment to him in life and memory of him in death.

C. Ms. Louise Robichaux - Retired teacher

RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Almighty God, in His infinite wisdom, has seen fit to summon to eternal rest the spirit and soul of Ms. Louise Robichaux, a retired teacher; and

WHEREAS, her life was a record of service faithfully performed, during which she worked in Lafourche Parish schools for a total of thirty-two years, beginning August 27, 1957, as a teacher at Larose Lower Elementary School, until her retirement on June 2, 1989; and

BE IT RESOLVED that we, the members of the Lafourche Parish School Board, express our sorrow at the loss sustained by the death of a friend and former employee and extend to the members of her family our deepest sympathy, and bid them take consolation in the thought that her soul has been taken unto the bosom of our Merciful Savior; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this tribute of respect to the memory of Ms. Louise Robichaux be recorded on a special page of our minute book and that a copy thereof be presented to her family as evidence of our sympathy for them and as a reminder of our attachment to her in life and memory of her in death.

D. Ms. Mildred Pitre - Retired Teacher

RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Almighty God, in His infinite wisdom, has seen fit to summon to eternal rest the spirit and soul of Ms. Mildred Pitre, a retired teacher; and

WHEREAS, her life was a record of service faithfully performed, during which she worked in Lafourche Parish schools for a total of thirty years, beginning April 3, 1950, as a teacher at Galliano Elementary School. Ms. Pitre transferred to Golden Meadow Upper Elementary School in 1957 as a teacher and served Lafourche Parish students until her retirement on June 1, 1980; and

BE IT RESOLVED that we, the members of the Lafourche Parish School Board, express our sorrow at the loss sustained by the death of a friend and former employee and extend to the members of her family our deepest sympathy, and bid them take consolation in the thought that her soul has been taken unto the bosom of our Merciful Savior; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this tribute of respect to the memory of Ms. Mildred Pitre be recorded on a special page of our minute book and that a copy thereof be presented to her family as evidence of our sympathy for them and as a reminder of our attachment to her in life and memory of her in death.

E. Mr. Michael Williams - Retired Bus Driver

RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Almighty God, in His infinite wisdom, has seen fit to summon to eternal rest the spirit and soul of Mr. Michael Williams, a retired bus driver; and

WHEREAS, his life was a record of service faithfully performed, during which he worked in Lafourche Parish schools for a total of twenty-six years, beginning April 8, 1976, until his retirement on June 1, 2022; and

BE IT RESOLVED that we, the members of the Lafourche Parish School Board, express our sorrow at the loss sustained by the death of a friend and former employee and extend to the members of his family our deepest sympathy, and bid them take consolation in the thought that his soul has been taken unto the bosom of our Merciful Savior; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this tribute of respect to the memory of Mr. Michael Williams be recorded on a special page of our minute book and that a copy thereof be presented to his family as evidence of our sympathy for them and as a reminder of our attachment to him in life and memory of him in death.

F. Ms. Diane Triggs - Retired Food Service Technician

RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Almighty God, in His infinite wisdom, has seen fit to summon to eternal rest the spirit and soul of Ms. Diane Triggs, a retired food service technician; and

WHEREAS, her life was a record of service faithfully performed, during which she worked in Lafourche Parish schools for a total of twenty-two years, beginning August 16, 1995, at Lockport Upper Elementary School. Ms. Triggs also worked at Raceland Upper Elementary School until her retirement on May 24, 2017; and

BE IT RESOLVED that we, the members of the Lafourche Parish School Board, express our sorrow at the loss sustained by the death of a friend and former employee and extend to the members of her family our deepest sympathy, and bid them take consolation in the thought that her soul has been taken unto the bosom of our Merciful Savior; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this tribute of respect to the memory of Ms. Diane Triggs be recorded on a special page of our minute book and that a copy thereof be presented to her family as evidence of our sympathy for them and as a reminder of our attachment to her in life and memory of her in death.

G. Ms. Catherine Ougel - Retired teacher

RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Almighty God, in His infinite wisdom, has seen fit to summon to eternal rest the spirit and soul of Ms. Catherine Ougel, a retired teacher; and

WHEREAS, her life was a record of service faithfully performed, during which she worked in Lafourche Parish schools for a total of fifteen, beginning August 15, 1996, as a teacher at Cut Off Elementary School. Ms. Ougel also worked at Larose-Cut Off Elementary School until her retirement on June 1, 2011; and

BE IT RESOLVED that we, the members of the Lafourche Parish School Board, express our sorrow at the loss sustained by the death of a friend and former employee and extend to the members of her family our deepest sympathy, and bid them take consolation in the thought that her soul has been taken unto the bosom of our Merciful Savior; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this tribute of respect to the memory of Ms. Catherine Ougel be recorded on a special page of our minute book and that a copy thereof be presented to her family as evidence of our sympathy for them and as a reminder of our attachment to her in life and memory of her in death.

5. Approval of Policy & Academics Committee Recommendations, as per meeting held Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Action: A. To approve revisions to policy JCDAE, Student Computer and Technology Use

To approve revisions to policy JCDAE, Student Computer and Technology Use.

Motion by Valerie Bourgeois, second by Clyde Duplantis.

Final Resolution: Motion Carried

Yea: Myron Wright, Tina Babin, Marian Fertitta, Clyde Duplantis, Valerie Bourgeois, Henry Lafont, Leslie Wells, BuffyLynn Charpentier

6. Approval of Land & Facilities Management Committee Recommendations, as per meeting held Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Action: A. To accept a change order request for the classroom addition project at St. Charles Elementary School.

To approve a change order request to add 18 days due to adverse weather for the classroom addition project at St. Charles Elementary School.

Motion by Henry Lafont, second by Valerie Bourgeois.

Final Resolution: Motion Carried

Yea: Myron Wright, Tina Babin, Marian Fertitta, Clyde Duplantis, Valerie Bourgeois, Henry Lafont, Leslie Wells, BuffyLynn Charpentier

Action: B. To accept bids for the Lafourche Parish School District Bus Yard Facility project.

To approve a low bid from Foret Contracting Group, LLC with a base bid of $3,130,000.00, alternate number one in the amount of $617,000.00, alternate number two in the amount of $117,000.00, reject alternate number three in the amount of $183,000.00, and add the design fee in the amount of $291,996.52 a for a total project amount of $4,155,996.52 for the Lafourche Parish School District Bus Yard Facility project.

Motion by Henry Lafont, second by BuffyLynn Charpentier.

Final Resolution: Motion Carried

Yea: Myron Wright, Tina Babin, Marian Fertitta, Clyde Duplantis, Valerie Bourgeois, Henry Lafont, Leslie Wells, BuffyLynn Charpentier

Action: C. To accept a change order request for Hurricane Ida repairs to the "ten various sites" project.

To approve a change order request for Hurricane Ida repairs in the sum of $5,924.78 for additional saw-cutting, demo, and concrete removal for new canopy installation at Lockport Lower Elementary School.

Motion by Henry Lafont, second by Leslie Wells.

Final Resolution: Motion Carried

Yea: Myron Wright, Tina Babin, Marian Fertitta, Clyde Duplantis, Valerie Bourgeois, Henry Lafont, Leslie Wells, BuffyLynn Charpentier

Action: D. To accept a change order request for Hurricane Ida repairs at Central Lafourche High School and C.M. Washington Elementary School.

To approve a change order request for Hurricane Ida repairs in the sum of $13,818.38 to the contract for additional saw-cutting, demo, and removal of concrete required to install a new canopy at C.M. Washington Elementary School project.

Motion by Henry Lafont, second by Myron Wright.

Final Resolution: Motion Carried

Yea: Myron Wright, Tina Babin, Marian Fertitta, Clyde Duplantis, Valerie Bourgeois, Henry Lafont, Leslie Wells, BuffyLynn Charpentier

Action: E. To accept bids for Hurricane Ida Repairs for the Annex Building project at Galliano Elementary School.

To approve a low bid from Volute, Inc. with a base bid of $229,900.00, alternate number one in the amount of $41,500.00, to reject alternate number two in the amount of $240,300.00, and to add the design fee in the amount of $31,153.00, for a total project amount of $302,553.00 (for Hurricane Ida repairs at the Galliano Elementary School Annex Building outside renovations project).

Motion by Henry Lafont, second by Tina Babin.

Final Resolution: Motion Carried

Yea: Myron Wright, Tina Babin, Marian Fertitta, Clyde Duplantis, Valerie Bourgeois, Henry Lafont, Leslie Wells, BuffyLynn Charpentier

Action: F. To accept bids for Hurricane Ida Repairs for the Gymnasium repair project at Bayou Blue Middle School.

To approve a low bid from Edward J. Laperousse Metal Works with a base bid of $285,297.00, alternate number one in the amount of $7,899.00, and add the design fee in the amount of $45,698.00 for a total project amount of $338,894.00 (Hurricane Ida repairs at Bayou Blue Middle School Gymnasium).

Motion by Henry Lafont, second by Valerie Bourgeois.

Final Resolution: Motion Carried

Yea: Myron Wright, Tina Babin, Marian Fertitta, Clyde Duplantis, Valerie Bourgeois, Henry Lafont, Leslie Wells, BuffyLynn Charpentier

Action: G. To accept a request to hire Duplantis Design Group, PC (DDG) for the Central Lafourche High School Auxiliary Gym repair project.

To approve a request to hire Duplantis Design Group, PC (DDG) for the Central Lafourche High School Auxiliary Gym repair project with an OPC of $553,444.00.

Motion by Henry Lafont, second by Valerie Bourgeois.

Final Resolution: Motion Carried

Yea: Myron Wright, Marian Fertitta, Clyde Duplantis, Valerie Bourgeois, Henry Lafont, Leslie Wells, BuffyLynn Charpentier

Abstain: Tina Babin

7. New Business

Action: A. To accept bids for the fan coil unit replacements at Cut Off Elementary School.

To approve a low bid from Volute, Inc. in the sum of $1,148,900.00 for the Fan coil unit replacements at Cut Off Elementary School.

Motion by Henry Lafont, second by Leslie Wells.

Final Resolution: Motion Carried

Yea: Myron Wright, Tina Babin, Marian Fertitta, Clyde Duplantis, Valerie Bourgeois, Henry Lafont, Leslie Wells, BuffyLynn Charpentier

Action: B. To consider a request to hire Castagnos Goodwin Utley Engineers, L.L.C. for the design of the sanitary piping renovation project at South Lafourche High School.

To approve a request to hire Castagnos Goodwin Utley Engineers, L.L.C. for the design of the South Lafourche High School sanitary piping renovation project with an opc of $201,105.00.

Motion by BuffyLynn Charpentier, second by Tina Babin.

Final Resolution: Motion Carried

Yea: Myron Wright, Tina Babin, Marian Fertitta, Clyde Duplantis, Valerie Bourgeois, Henry Lafont, Leslie Wells, BuffyLynn Charpentier

Action: C. To consider reappointing Mrs. Beth Cheramie and Mr. Chad Callais to the Board of Commissioners of Special Education District #1, to serve a six year term, expiring April 2, 2031.

To reappoint Mrs. Beth Cheramie and Mr. Chad Callais to the Board of Commissioners of Special Education District #1, to serve a six year term, beginning April 3, 2025 through April 2, 2031.

Motion by Clyde Duplantis, second by Tina Babin.

Final Resolution: Motion Carried

Yea: Myron Wright, Tina Babin, Marian Fertitta, Clyde Duplantis, Valerie Bourgeois, Henry Lafont, Leslie Wells, BuffyLynn Charpentier

Report: D. To receive a report from Superintendent Martin regarding RS 17:81.

RS 17:81 (Dating Violence) requires that in the spring of each school year, each local superintendent shall make an oral report at a meeting of the school governing authority that shall include but need not be limited to the compliance of each school with the requirements of the statute, aggregate data relative to dating violence, and any recommendations for reducing dating violence among students in grades 7 through 12.

All of our schools have verified compliance with the required PD as well as the reporting component of the statute. Thibodaux High School was the only school to report two (2) incidences of dating violence with one leading to an arrest. There were no other reports of dating violence from any of our schools.

8. Tentative Dates of Future Meetings

Information: A. Board In-Service: April 16, 2025

Information: B. Committee Meetings: Policy & Academics Committee; Business Committee; and Land & Facilities Management Committee, Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Information: C. Regular Board Meeting, Wednesday, April 2, 2025

9. Executive Session

Action: A. To consider entering into executive session pursuant to the provisions of La. R.S. 42:17(7) for the following purpose: "To consider the findings of the Superintendent regarding a student expulsion appeal pursuant to LPSB Policy JDE."

To enter executive session pursuant to the provisions of La. R.S. 42:17(7) for the following purpose: "To consider the findings of the Superintendent regarding a student expulsion appeal pursuant to LPSB Policy JDE."

(Entered executive session at 6:45 p.m.)

Motion by Valerie Bourgeois, second by Tina Babin.

Final Resolution: Motion Carried

Yea: Myron Wright, Tina Babin, Marian Fertitta, Clyde Duplantis, Valerie Bourgeois, Henry Lafont, Leslie Wells, BuffyLynn Charpentier

(Returned to regular session at 7:24 p.m.)

Motion by Valerie Bourgeois, second by Tina Babin.

Final Resolution: Motion Carried

Yea: Myron Wright, Tina Babin, Marian Fertitta, Clyde Duplantis, Valerie Bourgeois, Henry Lafont, Leslie Wells, BuffyLynn Charpentier

A motion was offered to uphold the Superintendent's recommendation for expulsion as outlined in the Superintendent's letter dated January 25, 2025.

Motion by Valerie Bourgeois, second by Clyde Duplantis

Final Resolution: Motion Carried

Yea: Myron Wright, Tina Babin, Marian Fertitta, Clyde Duplantis, Valerie Bourgeois

Nay: Henry Lafont, Leslie Wells, BuffyLynn Charpentier

10. Adjournment

Procedural: A. Adjourn the Meeting

The meeting adjourned at 7:26 p.m.

/s/ Marian B. Fertitta, President

/s/ Jarod W. Martin, Secretary

11149065 3/22/25 ($317.52)