OPELOUSAS, La. (KLFY) — Three St. Landry Parish schools will be closing their doors after a vote at Thursday evening’s special meeting of the parish school board, and several residents are not happy about it.

The board voted to close Opelousas Middle, Eunice Elementary and Washington Elementary schools.

Going forward, Opelousas Middle and Creswell Middle will be consolidated. Creswell Middle will be the new campus for the students.

Eunice Elementary will be repurposed as an expansion for the

Career and Technical Education Center. An alternative school will continue at the old Eunice Elementary campus.

Eunice Elementary students will be split between Glendale Elementary and East Elementary. Highland Early Learning, which teaches pre-k students, will now also hold kindergarten.

Washington Elementary will also be repurposed for the Career and Technical Education Center. Washington Elementary students will be split between Palmetto, Grand Prairie, Port Barre and Plaisance Elementary schools.

Previously, the school board had proposed closing Washington Elementary in 2021, but the board ultimately voted to keep it open at that time.

Several Washington residents were upset by the school board’s vote. Sharron R. Hicks-Davis, who has a grandchild at Washington Elementary, was one of them.

“So when you look at the board and the decision that they made, it was questions that was asked regarding travel, how much it’s going to cost or whatever,” she said. “They could not answer these questions for us, which tells us that they have no right to even do what they’re doing.”

Another grandparent and parent, Johnny Fontenot, said the board is rushing the changes too quickly.

“It’s like they’re doing this, and they want to do it all of a sudden,” Fontenot said. “They are sticking their plans and their proposals, it’s like they are shoving it down our throat, and they expect us to take this. But we’re not going to we’re not going to stand for this. You know, we’re going to continue fighting even if we have to go to our higher ups.”

Washington Town Council Member Mary Ann Lavergne said she feels blindsided and disappointed.

“I was very hurt and appalled to what they did, what they did to the children at Washington Elementary,” Lavergne said. “As you know, our town, a new plant is coming there. With them closing the school down, that’s an impact on the community economically because when you start taking schools out to refurbish them to do a trade school, I think that was wrong.”

Washington Elementary Food and Nutrition Manager Joyce Mallet said she feels her job is at risk.

“How about the employees? We have employees of 20 years, retirees working at the school, and we don’t know what’s happening next,” Mallet said. “It was never proposed to us of what the decision was going to be made about the employees. Everything was about the kids. So, at this point, here is we’re at a limbo, not knowing where we going to go. It’s like no future for the employees because there’s nothing being said,”

Some Washington residents said they will be taking legal action and reaching out to their state representatives in the hopes of undoing the school board’s vote. Others plan to attend community meetings.

Latest news