School Board responds to upset parents

In an effort to deflect harsh criticism directed to its recent decisions regarding changes to Catahoula/St. Martinville and Parks/Breaux Bridge schools, the St. Martin School board authorized the release of the following statement prepared by Pam W. Dill, the Baton Rouge attorney advising the board on the desegregation suit it currently faces:
“In response to the concerns of the parents in the District regarding the possible attendance zone changes, we reiterate that the Board is compelled by law to comply with its long-standing desegregation obligations and has been working diligently and in cooperative good faith to resolve the desegregation concerns involving student assignment with the Court, the Plaintiffs (who are the class of black students attending school in the District, represented by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund), and the United States (represented by the United States Department of Justice).
“Ultimately, the Board is bound to comply with its federal constitutional obligations and is committed to doing so, always with a goal of taking what steps are necessary while also considering the best interest of the entire District.
“The Board and the Plaintiffs have agreed on a student assignment plan that is designed to meet the Board’s desegregation obligations. Any change in a student assignment plan will necessarily affect some students while not affecting others; however, the plan now under consideration by the DOJ and the Court provides limited intrusion into the current attendance zones yet affects substantial positive desegregation.
“Although the community concerns are understandable, the public is asked to respect the legal process that is required of the Board in this important matter and to support the important social justice issue of enhancing desegregation in the District.”