JEFFERSON PARISH, La. — The parents of 9-year-old Ka'Mauri Harrison were back in court Wednesday in their continued fight for justice for their son. The fourth grade Woodmere Elementary School student was suspended six days in September after his teacher saw a BB gun in his house during virtual learning.
Attorney General Jeff Landry joined his parents in court to hear arguments between the family and JP Schools.
Ka'Mauri's parents are fighting to have the suspension dropped from his record.
"It's been a lot, it's been overwhelming," said Nyron Harrison, Ka'Mauri's father, after Wednesday's court hearings. "I feel good and positive about today."
Since Ka'Mauri's suspension, state lawmakers passed the Ka'Mauri Harrison Act that requires schools to have virtual learning discipline policies.
In the federal case against Jefferson Parish Schools, Attorney Chelsea Cusimano represents the Harrison family and the family of another sixth-grader in Jefferson Parish who also was suspended for showing a BB gun in a virtual class.
"It's really disheartening we're still fighting about this today," Cusimano said.
"I express my disappointment for being here today in the fact that we couldn’t get the school board to see they were wrong in this matter. They need to clear his record at a minimum and apologize to the family and young man," Landry said.
Jefferson Parish Schools are countersuing over the Ka'Mauri Harrison Act. Their attorneys also hope qualified immunity will dismiss claims against the school board.
"At the eleventh hour they brought forward cases and new arguments and new law to try to establish they have rights, but at the end of the day they are a creature of the state," Cusimano said.
Jefferson Parish Schools attorneys said in court Wednesday a suspension for a weapon in school is standard policy and those rules should apply for virtual learning too.
"I just hope we get a positive outcome," Harrison said.
Now the families and school board wait for the judge to issue a ruling and that will likely take weeks.
Jefferson Parish Schools said they could not comment on pending litigation.