PROCEEDINGS OF THE SCHOOL BOARD OF THE PARISH OF CONCORDIA, STATE OF LOUISIANA, TAKEN AT A SPECIAL MEETING HELD ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1997.

The School Board of the Parish of Concordia, State of Louisiana, met in special session at the Concordia Parish School Board Office, in Vidalia, Louisiana, on Monday, October 13, 1997, at five-thirty (5:30) o'clock p.m. The meeting was called to order by the Honorable Ernest Lynn White, President, who declared that the Board, after prayer by Mr. Manson E. Nelson, Sr., and the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, was ready for the transaction of business.

Members present were the Honorable Ernest Lynn White, Mr. Eddie L. Coleman, Sr., Mrs. Marie Cowan, Mr. Mike Grantham, Mr. Manson E. Nelson, Sr., Mr. Charles Partridge, Mr. Ricky Raven and Mr. Sam Williams, Jr. Mrs. Georgia Washington was absent.

President White stated that the meeting had been called because of an incident at VHS on Friday, October 10, 1997.  Superintendent Lee introduced the administrators and Pupil Appraisal personnel who had been present at VHS throughout the day on Monday.

Mrs. Washington arrived at 5:3 5 p.m.

Superintendent Lee read the following prepared statement:

STATEMENT REGARDING THE INCIDENTS AT VIDALIA HIGH SCHOOL ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1997

            On Friday Mr. Howard Duck, principal of Vidalia High School, notified me of a fight which led to tension and high emotions among students.  He further informed me that he had requested the presence of a Vidalia Police Department deputy as a precautionary measure.  I immediately went to Vidalia High School.

            Upon my arrival, I observed an orderly, well-monitored process being administered by Vidalia High School administrators, faculty and staff. I would like to assure the public that the situation was well in hand and that the environment was totally safe.  Many rumors which surfaced later in the day have not been confirmed by school officials or by law enforcement officials.

            I remained at the school until all students had left the campus at the end of the day.  Several law enforcement officials also remained at the school throughout the afternoon, and others arrived prior to the end of school.  There were no further incidents.

            During a meeting of school and central office administrators on Sunday afternoon, October 12, several facts were ascertained.  A fight on Thursday between a white student and a black student in the cafeteria resulted in a cracked window.  No student was "thrown through a window" as previously reported.  The two students were suspended.  Two students, one black and one white, fought on Friday after the Pep Rally.  They were brought to the office immediately and sent home.  No weapons were involved in the fight nor were any found by school officials or police.  Many students who left school during the day were taking advantage of the situation or were responding to rumors.  However, I want the public to be assured that we do take such reports seriously and that an investigation is underway.  If reports of weapons are true, those responsible will be dealt with according to law and school board policy.

            The tension which resulted at the school on Friday appears to be the result of two groups of students seeking to become the dominant group at the school.  This led to built up tensions, rumors and innuendoes and was further escalated when students left school and repeated the rumors to parents and community members.  Mr. Duck had sufficient personnel and an appropriate plan in place to address the situation.  The investigation into the reasons for the fights and high tensions is continuing at this time.

             This morning, arrangements were made for three male teachers and a male vocational aide to assist in monitoring the return of students to school, and this arrangement will continue as long as necessary.  In addition, Dr. Peterman, Mr. Butcher, Mr. Jackson and I were on hand to assist and support.  Arrangements have also been made for the school system's social worker, one of the educational diagnosticians and two psychologists to be available to students throughout the week for counseling and other assistance.

            A fight did break out at the beginning of homeroom this morning.  Staff members immediately broke up the two students and took them to the office.  Both students were suspended effective today, with the condition that they receive counseling before returning to school.  This was the only incident I am aware of that occurred during the day.

            I met with the student body during a short assembly this morning after homeroom to introduce the additional administrators who were on site to assist Mr. Duck and Mr. Green.  My purpose was also to let them know what actions are being taken to ensure a safe and secure environment at the school and that we will continue to investigate the situation which occurred on Friday and take action against students who were disrupting the educational process.  We remained at the school throughout the day.

            I want the public to be assured that this disruptive type of behavior from students will not be permitted to continue.  I urge students and staff to report all aggressive behavior by any student to the school administrators who are prepared to take appropriate action.  Mr.  Duck, in consultation with other administrators, has developed a pro-action plan to ensure a safe and secure school environment for students and staff, and adequate monitoring procedures have been established and are ongoing.  Central office administrators, myself included, stand ready to assist in promoting the safety and security of our students and staff.

                                                /s/ James E. Lee, Superintendent

Mr. Coleman requested additional information on the pro-action plan.  Mr. Howard Duck, principal at VHS, responded that additional staff members had been placed on duty and that counseling sessions were in progress.  He stated that suggestions would be taken from the counseling sessions on ways to improve relationships among students.  Superintendent Lee stated that he would be present on campus throughout the week along with other administrators as needed.  In response to questions by Mr. Raven, Mr. Duck stated that other than one fight, students were mostly involved in a stare-down.  He also stated that he felt the group counseling sessions with the pupil appraisal team was a good start toward improving student relations.

In answer to Mr. Nelson's question whether the group would meet regularly, Mr. Duck stated that the sessions would last for the week for one to one and one-half hours per day.  After that plans would be made for continuing the process.  Mr. Coleman asked about parent involvement.  Superintendent Lee stated that he had met with parents and students during the day Monday and would be available to any parents who wished to see him on Tuesday.

Following questions by Board members, audience members were called on for questions.  Several parents commented or asked questions, including Darryl Crawford, Sherry Cupit, Kenneth DeWitt, Margaret Mays, Brenda Roberts, and William Saul.  Vidalia Police Chief Mike McDonald commented on the number of police officers and sheriffs deputies on campus and answered a question concerning a sealed record of a juvenile offender.

In response to questions from the audience, there was discussion of increased enrollment at the alternative school, searches of lockers and vehicles, guns on campus, whether any students were injured, the number of fights, use of racial epithets, "zero tolerance" for fights, Homecoming activities, and whether students who left campus without permission on Friday because they were afraid would be penalized.  Superintendent Lee stated that if parents of students who left without permission would go by the school and sign them out for Friday, they would not be penalized.

Superintendent Lee told the audience that the system would be pro-active in this and similar situations and that he wanted parents to be assured that the safety and security of students and staff is of utmost importance.  He stated that the students who instigated this or any other incidents would be identified and dealt with according to policy.  In addition, peer leaders would be identified among students in order to discuss problems and define solutions.  Superintendent Lee invited parents to come to VHS and talk to him or to VHS administrators about their concerns.

It was moved by Mr. Partridge, seconded by Mrs. Washington and carried to adjourn at 8:00 p.m.

__________________________                                            __________________________

James E. Lee, Superintendent                                                  Ernest Lynn White, President