ST. LANDRY PARISH — OPELOUSAS, La. (KATC) — School leaders in St. Landry Parish are considering a rezoning plan that could impact where some students attend high school, as the district works to avoid forcing students to change campuses after eighth grade.
The discussion centers around students currently attending Opelousas Junior High, which serves seventh and eighth graders and is now being merged with Opelousas Senior High into a combined seventh-through-12th-grade campus.
Superintendent Milton Batiste said the goal of the proposed rezoning is to ensure a smoother transition for students entering high school.
“It’s about our eighth graders,” Batiste said. “Some of those students in ninth grade would go to Northwest, some would go to Opelousas High. We want to look at the zone lines to make sure a student wouldn’t have to be moved.”
Currently, some students who attend Opelousas Junior High are zoned to attend Northwest High School once they reach ninth grade, based on where they live. With the recent merger placing those students on the Opelousas High campus earlier, district leaders say that could create confusion and disruption.
The proposed rezoning would examine attendance boundaries to determine whether adjustments should be made so students can remain at the same campus through high school.
“We’re just trying to make sure the matriculation process is seamless,” Batiste said.
The St. Landry Parish School Board was expected to discuss the issue during a recent Committee of the Whole meeting, but the item was tabled after the district’s demographer was unable to attend.
School officials say the demographer will present multiple rezoning scenarios, including how many students could be affected by potential changes, before the board makes any decisions.
Transportation is not currently being factored into the discussion but is expected to be considered once a final plan is developed.
The district plans to revisit the rezoning discussion at its next school board meeting scheduled for May 19.
