Rollover Crash Kills Two in Terrebonne Parish
March 16, 2021
Nicholls nearly pulls off comeback in 9-8 loss to Louisiana
March 17, 2021
Lindsey Dion said her children were “bullied severely,” coming home from class with “bruises, scratches and welts,” but everything changed once they switched schools.
“Now that they are at Pointe-aux-Chenes [Elementary], they have friends. I’m not finding them wanting to hurt themselves anymore. They wake up eager to go to school instead of crying and pleading with me and their father to not go,” she said, holding back tears. “This school does not deserve to be closed down because of what they’re doing for these kids.”
Dion was one of eight community members — consisting of parents and other concerned citizens — who advocated for keeping Pointe-aux-Chenes Elementary open during the Terrebonne Parish School Board Education, Technology and Policy Committee meeting Tuesday evening.
Around 30 members of the Pointe-aux-Chenes community showed up to support speakers as they opposed a recommendation to merge the school with Montegut Elementary at Montegut’s site, beginning with the 2021-2022 school year. A decision that would close their beloved school’s doors.
Parents voiced concerns over Montegut’s accessibility issues.
Samantha Boudreaux said when her son attended the school a few years back, a broken leg forced him to rely on a wheelchair. She said she had to carry him up and down the school stairs because the facility lacked accessibility. At Pointe-aux-Chenes, however, her nephew with special needs and who uses a wheelchair is accommodated.
“He is safe at his school. He does everything the other children do at that school,” she said. “Pointe-aux-Chenes is so much more open to helping the children.”
According to Andrew Metzger, a resident of Pointe-aux-Chenes, 18 percent of the school’s students are in special education. “Changes of a school and environment in which these special ed. children attend can have devastating effects, such as anxiety, mental meltdowns, lower self-esteem and regression to an earlier stage of development,” he said. “One child that simply overheard discussion of the possible school closure has had a mental meltdown.”
Montegut’s safety was also called into question.
According to Maggie Henry, a parent of a Pointe-aux-Chenes second-grader, there are 12 sex offenders within a one-mile radiance of Montegut; Pointe-aux-Chenes has three. Henry also said the school lacks adequate protection, such as fencing.
Tiffany Dupre, another parent, echoed those same sentiments. “We are concerned about the safety of our children going to Montegut Elementary School,” she said. “Do you realize two murders were committed this year next door to the school building…Will you be putting a fence in the backyard to keep the sexual predators away from our children?”
“Our school [Pointe-aux-Chenes] is across the street from our church,” she continued. “…I don’t understand as parents, grandparents and advocates for our children you are going to send our children to an unsafe environment.”
Superintendent Philip Martin and School Board Vice President Dr. MayBelle Trahan came to the defense of Montegut Elementary.
Trahan, a former principal of Montegut and student of Pointe-aux-Chenes, said it can accommodate disabled students and has safety measures in place. “We never had an issue with safety,” she said. “There is a buzzer system; all doors are locked.”
Martin said Montegut is a good school with a “B” rating, the same as Pointe-aux-Chenes, and half of the teachers at the school will transfer to Montegut. He also added that it has enough space for the merger, another one of the parents’ concerns. The superintendent also noted that past mergers in the district have worked, giving examples of schools that thrived after a consolidation.
“We will expend whatever we need to do at Montegut to make sure all the children…receive everything they need,” Martin said. “And I can promise you…after the consolidation, the newly-consolidated Montegut will be stronger than either Pointe-aux-Chenes or Montegut was previously. That’s happened with every other consolidation.’
Citizens also aim to keep the school open to preserve the Pointe-aux-Chenes community’s French-Indian culture and history.
According to Metzger, 68 percent of the students are Native American, the highest percentage of Native Americans of any school in the parish, and the other 32 percent are predominately Cajun Heritage.
“…If you vote to close Pointe-aux-Chenes Elementary, you will be closing the last Native American Indian Majority school that serves this unique community,” he said. “That is unconscionable given the history of discrimination against these people.”
Mary Verdin took to the podium to read a statement by the Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe.
“The Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe opposes any efforts to close down Pointe-aux-Chenes Elementary School. Any measures to change the education system for the children living in Pointe-au-Chien or Isle de Jean Charles should only be done after meeting and consulting with parents, the community, and Tribal leaders on the potential impacts to the children and the community,” she said. “…Pointe-au-Chien is committed to preserving its culture, way of life and the sacred sites where our ancestors are buried. Terrebonne Parish is considering closure of a school that serves as a pillar of hope and opportunity for many facing dire circumstances – poverty, coastal erosion and effects of hurricanes.”
Advocates also called for the district to apply French immersion.
Martin wasn’t opposed to implementing French immersion, which he said was difficult at Pointe-aux-Chenes Elementary because of its size. “No one is trying to take away your culture. We respect and admire and love your culture,” he said. “We are part of the culture: my father spoke French before he spoke English.”
After public comment, Martin remained adamant that the merger should happen, saying that the logistics call for it.
“There are going to be 80 kids next year at Pointe-aux-Chenes…It’s not sustainable, especially when there is a school just a short distance down the road that they can easily fit into,” said Martin, who added that the consolidation is not a decision but a “reality.”
Before unanimously voting to move the recommendation forward to the meeting on April 13 for final approval, several school board members expressed that they understand the concerns of the Pointe-aux-Chenes community and will do their due diligence before giving their final vote on the matter.
“I’m going to investigate: look at both schools before I make my decision,” Michael LaGarde said. “I understand your passion and concern for your community. And I wish everybody, every parent, would come and speak up.”
