It was business as usual earlier this week at Medard H. Nelson on St. Bernard Avenue.
But after a meeting Monday evening, parents said, they were stunned to learn the Gentilly school faces an uncertain future.
“The reaction was, 'This is fatalistic,’” said Alex Lafargue, the father of a 9-year-old third-grader at Nelson.
Pastor Lionel Davis Sr., president of the Pilotland Neighborhood Association, where many of Nelson's 400 students live, said the fear among parents was raw after the meeting.
“Their fear was that the school was just going to automatically close … and then what would this do to the kids that were there this academic year?”
Officials with New Beginnings School Foundation, which operates Nelson, reportedly blamed poor performance for the possible closure.
State Department of Education records show Nelson has rated an "F" the last three academic years. The next ratings will be published in December.
Davis and Lafargue blame part of Nelson's problems on what they describe as a revolving door of teachers and administrators.
“What I know personally since 2013, they've had approximately five principals and two or three CEO’s from New Beginnings Charter Network that provided no stability to the student body or parents,” Davis said.
Neither New Beginnings’ CEO nor board president returned calls or emails from WWL-TV seeking comment.
The Orleans Parish School Board declined an interview request from WWL-TV and has not yet provided a statement about Nelson’s future.
Nelson is among four schools for which the OPSB recently suspended enrollment, citing poor test scores and possible closures, The Lens reported.
Lafargue said he hopes his and other parents’ questions will be answered sooner rather than later after he learned that a decision on Nelson’s future will not come until December -- after enrollment for the 2019-2020 academic year begins in November.
As a parent, I want to know -- now. I don't want to be scrambling,” he said. “I hope I can avoid that, to do right by my child.”
Danny Monteverde can be reached at danny@wwltv.com.