By Patricia Morris
Tuesday night's school board meeting should have been a wake-up call for people throughout Tangipahoa and surrounding parishes.
Never has there been so much deception as was displayed Tuesday night.
The real truth of the matter is what Attorney Patin told the school board Tuesday night in there not being able to do anything that could be done to ask that he do an amendment to change what was not voted in public following their executive session on the Moore Case is not true. The November 3, 2009 meeting had people in the board room that was full of media personnel, and NAACP representation when the board returned to open session. Amazing that the media did not report the "proverbial vote" to change Loranger's Plan, and certainly we would have heard this, even knowing when something is said that the board voted to take the recommendation of their attorney in the Moore Case, which should be discussed openly in public as to what is being talked about and voted on, and is not done in this school system. This is pure hogwash, and it did not happen. Certainly, something of this magnitude would have made the news, and it did not, because it did not happen as was said Tuesday night. However, thanks to Ann Smith and Rose Dominguez, we now have an avenue to ask that some things done in executive session is changed. Thank you ladies for the assistance.
Is this the length the school administration and some on the board would extend itself into doing something as ludicrous as what they did Tuesday night? We think so.
We have never been so proud of four of the nine board members who stood on their convictions in saying what had been done to Loranger was wrong, and voted as though it was. We are extremely proud of you. Even though the Daily Star reported that board member Eric Dangerfield voted against asking Patin to return to court, he voted with Sandra Simmons, Tank Genco and Sonya Traylor to return to court with an amendment. Dangerfield should request that the Daily Star should do a retraction on this one.
We had to laugh when the tie-breaker in this vote, Robert Potts had to be told by Danny Ridgel, it is time to vote no, and Potts did so. Is there no length that some on this board will go to preserve their rapidly weakening power-base in doing wrong. Mr. Potts is obviously ill - we all see this. His health is not good, and we do hope it will improve, but the preservation of evil and wrong is so important to some on the board, Tuesday night proved there is no length some will extend themselves to preserve doing what is wrong.
As an undergrad Mass Communication and Journalism Major, I learned how to know when people lie, and it was obvious this was being done by some on the board Tuesday night. If Al Link's concern is that the integrity of the board is being impuned, then he/they should stop lying. We know the truth of what has been happening in the TPSS for years now, and it is time to either step down or stop lying in/with the attempts made to further deceive the public. Put an educator at the helm in this school system, lest we continue to expose what you do as being wrong, and will adamantly fight to see you replaced on the board with people who want what the people want, and that is, giving all of our children a fair and equitable chance of getting a quality education in this school system.
Finally, what Patin reported in his not being able to change things that the Judge has signed, because it is too late is not for the school board, but is/was that window of opportunity through Rule 59 for the plaintiffs, should there have been any objections from the plaintiffs. The plan submitted is for the judge, and of course, in deseg cases, changes will be made until unitary status is granted, and can be made by the defendents (school board). For example, the current school district lines now in the plan submitted will change because of reapportionment that will occur next year. The board should ask Attorney Patin to prepare an Inter-derogatory Decree. Let's see what he will say on this, because he knows what this is and what it will do to change an obviously poor attempt to slip something into their plan as what is considered punishment for the people of Loranger, and those board members who represent this school district.
It is time for the administration and some on the board to stop their attempt(s) to further deceive the public and realize in today's technology, it is possible to have the truth known, and known expeditiously.