ST. LANDRY PARISH — A St. Landry Parish parent is speaking out after the Sheriff’s Office released a school compliance inspection report that some say revealed too much about campus vulnerabilities.
Latoya Gradney, who has two daughters attending Beau Chene High School, says she was shocked to see her children’s school listed in the report — which detailed unlocked classroom doors, faulty locks, and open gates across several campuses in the parish.
“How is that safe? How is that protecting the kids?” Gradney said. “Putting it out there for the public, that’s not okay.” The report, posted publicly on Facebook, is part of the Safe Schools Program, which checks whether schools follow state law requiring all classroom doors to remain closed and locked during instruction.
Gradney says she believes the information should have been handled internally between the Sheriff’s Office, the school board, and parents — not posted for the public.
“They could’ve addressed the issues with the schools, with the school board. If parents needed to be notified, then notify the parents — not the whole public,” she said. But Sheriff Bobby Guidroz says transparency was necessary to push for change.
“I want this publication to at least get people to wake up and say, ‘Okay, yes, we do have a problem — and we need to fix this,’” Guidroz said. Guidroz says some schools, including Northwest High, have repeatedly failed compliance inspections over the past three years.
“This is my job. I gave them three and a half years to fix this — let’s fix it,” he said. He says the goal isn’t to point fingers, but to make sure every school meets safety standards.
“Teachers, whether the classroom is empty or has students, must keep that door locked. That’s state law — and I’m going to follow the law,” Guidroz said. “If I’m responsible for advising the school board of vulnerabilities, I’m going to do that.” To support that goal, Guidroz says he’s willing to invest in the solution — pledging to donate $1 million toward school safety upgrades if the district can match half that amount.
“Together, we’ll have the money to protect our school staff and children,” he said.
KATC asked Sheriff Guidroz if he plans to remove the post, but he said no—adding that he hopes teachers and school staff will take responsibility and keep classroom doors locked.
