JEFFERSON PARISH, La. — Emotions overflowed Wednesday night at the Jefferson Parish School Board meeting, as teacher after teacher begged the board to delay the start of the school year.
Teachers, who returned to the classroom Monday, said their buildings just are not ready. Some said they were told Tuesday they’d be teaching virtual and in-person students at the same time.
Many teachers said they have not been trained on the virtual learning programs at all. Others said they have discovered major bugs in the system, even one that allows students to overtake teachers as ‘presenters.’
Students are set to join teachers in the classroom August 12.
During Wednesday’s meeting, the school board voted to take the discussion on school reopening into executive session, meaning there would be no vote at the meeting.
Still, the board listened to well over an hour of public comment. Teachers, social workers, and parents had lots to say. So many people had signed up to speak, that staff members were escorting people into socially-distant seats as the room cleared out.
As the meeting stretched into its third hour, a young man began speaking at the microphone. Soon after, he said Board President Tiffany Kuhn was looking at her cell phone and not listening to what he had to say.
The man raised his voice and slammed his hat on the ground, and the board asked him to leave the microphone. Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s deputies then asked him to leave the room.
Others in the room began calling out, saying that the man had more time to speak. As more voices joined in, the board abruptly moved to adjourn the meeting. Board members left, ending the public comment period.
The board has not set an official date on when it will be reconsidering the school start date.
Board Member Simeon Dickerson, who said he believes the first day of school should be delayed, said there may be another school board meeting before the start of school, but that has yet to be determined.
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