LAFAYETTE, La. — A proposal to close Ovey Comeaux High School is drawing strong reaction from community members— many who question the move just a few years after the school completed a new performing arts facility.
“Has anybody seen any plans or strategic operational plans and justification for the movement and closure?”, said Kenny Barbay, a parent of a Comeaux High alumnus. “We, as taxpayers, spent a considerable bit of money to invest into Comeaux.”
The proposal would close Comeaux High at the end of the 2025-2026 school year. Students would be reassigned to Acadiana, Lafayette, and Southside high schools.
Barbay, who has lived in the area for two decades, cited concerns about the plan’s impact on students and the surrounding community. “How much it’s going to cost to transfer and to disperse the students into other areas, and what is the potential savings— so that you can determine the value of this movement," Barbay said.
He added that population growth in the area could complicate student dispersal. “I could see the population has increased and it’s going to continue to increase. So now you’re going to have to take these students and disperse them to other schools — where, what schools, and how are you going to break this up as a district?”
Barbay urged the Lafayette Parish School Board to thoroughly examine the plan before making a decision. “I would say scrutinize the plan, and be sure that you are aware of the plan and ask questions, to look at the plan and to determine what the value is," he said.
The Lafayette Parish School Board is scheduled to vote on the proposal Thursday.
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