LINCOLN PARISH SCHOOL BOARD
Ruston Louisiana
SPECIAL SESSION
Friday, April 29, 1994
The Lincoln Parish School Board met in Special Called Session on Friday, April 29, 1994 at 1:00 p.m. in the Board Room of the Lincoln Parish School Board Office, 410 South Farmerville Street, Ruston, Louisiana. Members present were: Mr. David Wright, president; Mr. Wayne Barfield, Mrs. Loyace Braggs, Dr. Marty Beasley, Mr. George Mack, Mr. Andy Shealy, Mr. Jim Kessler, Mr. Rob Shadoin, Mr. Calvin Wilkerson, Ms. Ann M. Boyd, Mr. Paul Woodard, and Mr. Allen Tuten.
Absent: None
The meeting was called to order by Mr. Wayne Barfield, vice-president, and the invocation was given by Mr. Allen Tuten.
Mr. Barfield explained that the purpose of the Special Called Session was to hear and consider the appeal of a student who has been recommended for expulsion for the remainder of the 1993-94 school year.
The procedure to be followed in considering the appeal of the student was defined in detail, prior to beginning the hearing, by Mr. Barfield.
After reviewing the procedure, the parent was asked if they desired the meeting to be in open or closed session. An open session was requested by the parent.
Presenting background information on the hearing held at the Lincoln Parish School Board office was Mr. Charles Owens, Director of Auxiliary Programs for Lincoln Parish Schools. He gave a brief overview of the events that transpired at that hearing.
Following Mr. Owens' presentation, Mr. Harry Jones, principal of Simsboro School, gave a detailed listing of all charges or disciplinary infractions recorded against the student by members of the school faculty and administrators and the resulting disciplinary action taken as a result of each incident.
At this point in the meeting, Mr. David Wright, president of the Board, was presiding and recognized Ms. Vickie Hampton, mother of the student, who was given opportunity to present her prospective or view of the charges lodged against her daughter and leading to the recommended expulsion and to ask questions regarding the charges.
Members of the board, administrative staff at the involved school and central office, and the parent were given opportunity to ask questions, offer rebuttals, and cross examine regarding comments or statements. A lengthy discussion followed as each member of the board as well as all other involved persons expressed their thoughts and observations.
Some questions arose regarding the possibility that the student involved should be evaluated for more effective placement in the school. The mother indicated that she had requested that this be done. Again, a lengthy discussion was entered into regarding her placement and the effect that her placement could have on her behavior problems.
At this point, Mr. David Wright indicated that he felt that the board should consider the possibility of deferring action on this matter until a later date in order that clarification could be given to some matters in question.
It was pointed out that due to the large numbers of suspensions and school infractions accumulated, this student was subject to expulsion at a much earlier date.
Dr. Beasly injected her thoughts that perhaps the board should consider removing the student from her present environment and suspended to an assigned activity rather than expulsion until such time as she can be tested and evaluated for correct placement.
A motion was offered at this time by Mr. Andy Shealy, seconded by Mr. Paul Woodard, that the board uphold the recommendation for the expulsion of the student for the remainder of the 1993-94 school year.
An amendment to the original motion offered by Mr. Shealy was made by Dr. Marty Beasley and seconded by Mr. George Mack to modify the wording to state that the student would receive extended suspension (not expulsion) until such time as determination could be made regarding her eligibility for Special Education services.
A roll call vote on the amended motion resulted in a 5-7 vote, with 5 voting for the motion and 7 voting against the motion.
Voting for the amended motion: Ms. Loyace Braggs, Dr. Marty Beasley, Mr. George Mack, Mr. Calvin Wilkerson and Mr. David Wright.
Voting against the amended motion: Mr. Wayne Barfield, Mr. Andy Shealy, Mr. Jim Kessler, Mr. Rob Shadoin, Ms. Ann M. Boyd, Mr. Paul Woodard, and Mr. Allen Tuten.
The roll call vote on the original motion made by Mr. Andy Shealy and seconded by Mr. Paul Woodard to uphold the administration's recommendation to expel the student from school for the remainder of this school year resulted in a 7-5 vote to uphold the recommendation for expulsion.
Voting for the motion: Mr. Wayne Barfield, Mr. Andy Shealy, Mr. Jim Kessler, Mr. Rob Shadoin, Ms. Ann M. Boyd, Mr. Paul Woodard, and Mr. Allen Tuten.
Voting against the motion: Ms. Loyace Braggs, Dr. Marty Beasley, Mr. George Mack, Mr. Calvin Wilkerson and Mr. David Wright.
Following comments by Mr. Jim Kessler, the board voted to adjourn at 3:05 p.m.
Gerald W. Cobb, Secretary David Wright, President