Four Vermilion Parish School Board members have filed suit against the superintendent and board president, alleging they have repeatedly denied their requests to add items to meeting agendas.
The plaintiffs claim that defendants Superintendent Jerome Puyau and Board President Stacy Landry have done this "on numerous occasions" since Jan. 1. Some of the matters plaintiff board members wanted to discuss included lawsuits against the board, financial matters and access to and examination of some school-system records, they claim.
Plaintiffs include Laura LeBouef, school board vice president; David Dupuis, District A school board member; Sara Duplechain, District G board member; and Kibbie Pillette, District F school board member.
Also named as plaintiffs are Deborah Meaux, president of the Louisiana Association of Educator; Vermilion Association of Educators president Suzanne Breaux; and Vermilion Parish residents Suzette Riddle and Betty Girouard.
Meaux, Breaux, Riddle and Girouard claim they "have been incapable of gauging the performance of the Board and its Superintendent on issues of public policy" because of the alleged denials. The plaintiffs further claim that they prevented the board members "from faithfully performing the duties they swore to uphold."
They claim the denials violate board policy and are asking a judge to order Puyau and Landry to allow them to place items on the agenda.
Louisiana’s Attorney General also has a pending claim against the school board that alleges the board violated Open Meetings Law when it removed a teacher from a January meeting that ended up making national headlines.
