TANGIPAHOA PARISH SCHOOL BOARD PROCEEDINGS

 

December 2, 2002

 

 

The Tangipahoa Parish School Board met in special session on Monday, December 2, 2002, at 6:00 p.m., in the School Board Meeting Room, School Board Office, 313 E. Oak St. Amite, Louisiana, with President Al Link presiding.

 

MEMBERS PRESENT:           Jimmy Richardson, Tony Paul Ardillo, Jr., Al Link, Maxine Dixon, Donnie Williams, Carl Bardwell, and Robert Caves

 

MEMBERS ABSENT:             Leroy Hart, and Sandra Bailey

                       

            Rev. Jimmy Richardson, Board Member District A, gave the invocation and led the Pledge of Allegiance.

 

            There were no requests for public input.

 

            President Link stated that the Board would now continue the tenure hearing in accordance with L.R.S. 17:443 for Mrs. Ida Stevens, French Teacher at Hammond Westside Upper Elementary School.

 

            President Link requested that the record reflect that at 6:14 p.m., Mrs. Jo Fleming Brown, Attorney for Mrs. Ida Stevens, was not present.

 

As a point of information, President Link informed the Board that Mrs. Sandra Bailey-Simmons was not present at the meeting due to illness. A fifteen-minute recess was declared at this point.

 

The Board resumed the hearing for Mrs. Ida Stevens at 6:30 p.m. Mrs. Stevens and her attorney, Ms. Jo Fleming Brown were not present at this time. President Link declared another recess until 7:00 p.m.

 

The Board resumed the hearing for Mrs. Ida Stevens at 7:00 p.m. Mrs. Stevens and her attorney were not present at time. President Link announced that the Board would proceed with the hearing for Mrs. Stevens.

 

Mr. Bob Hammonds requested that the records reflect the efforts that had been made to notify Mrs. Stevens and her attorney of the tenure hearing. Notification was as follows:

 

Certified letter sent to Mrs. Stevens dated 11/21/02, with the return receipt signed by Mr.

Stevens on 11/25/02. This letter notified Mrs. Stevens of the hearing to be held on

December 2, 2002 at 6:00 p.m.

 

            Mr. Hammonds stated that he had not received notification of any kind from Mrs. Fleming Brown regarding the hearing. The Central Office switchboard had been manned during this period of time, and to his knowledge, there had been no calls from Mrs. Stevens and her attorney.

 

Mr. Chris Moody, Attorney, for the Tangipahoa Parish School Board  requested that the records also reflect that in addition to the formal notice that Mrs. Stevens received of the hearing, as required  by statute, he directed a letter to Ms. Jo Fleming Brown on November 20, 2002, mailed out of his office, indicating that the hearing would be reconvened on December 2nd, 3rd and 4th,  at  6:00 p.m. He  stated that he requested that she block out these dates and times on her calendar, and advised her that the Board would proceed into the evenings in order to complete the hearings. He had no response to that letter. In addition to that, on Friday, November 29, 2002, he faxed a letter to Ms. Brown indicating that if  for some reason she had not received the original notices, to consider this a formal notice of  the continuation of the hearing on December 2, 2002 at 6:00 p.m., and continuing until the court adjourns.

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. Moody also indicated that all of the witnesses that had been subpoenaed to appear at the hearing had received certified letters and responses had been received from these persons. A public notice was also published in the Daily Star.

 

President Link asked that Mr. Hammonds proceed with his closing remarks.

 

            Ms. Belinda K. Amerson, Certified Court Reporter, recorded the proceedings and testimony given.

 

            Mr. Hammonds  called as a witness and questioned Mr. Virgil Allen, Superintendent  of the Tangipahoa Parish School System.

 

            Mr. Hammonds indicated that the Board should vote on the individual charges against Mrs. Stevens.

 

Mr. Donnie Williams recused himself from voting because he arrived late on October 17, 2002.

A  roll call vote on the charges yielded the results listed below.

 

#1:       Whether the Board finds that the Superintendent has proven by a preponderance of the evidence that the employee is guilty of the facts alleged in the charge?

 

            YEAS                                                  NAYS                         ABSENT

 

            Mr. Richardson                                    None                            Mr. Hart

            Mr. Ardillo                                                                               Mrs. Bailey-Simmons

            Mr. Link

            Mr. Caves

            Ms. Dixon

            Mr. Bardwell

           

            The motion was adopted with 6 yeas, 0 nays, and Mr. Hart and Mrs. Bailey-Simmons absent.

 

#2:       Since you have found the facts as alleged to be true, do you feel that those facts constitute willful neglect of duty on the part of the employee?

 

            YEAS                                                  NAYS                         ABSENT

 

            Mr. Richardson                                    None                            Mr. Hart

            Mr. Ardillo                                                                               Mrs. Bailey-Simmons

            Mr. Link

            Mr. Caves

            Ms. Dixon

            Mr. Bardwell

 

            The motion was adopted with 6 yeas, 0 nays, and Mr. Hart and Mrs. Bailey-Simmons absent.

 

#3.       Based on the findings, facts and conclusions that the Board has just made, do you feel that disciplinary action should be taken against the employee?

 

            YEAS                                                  NAYS                         ABSENT

 

            Mr. Richardson                                    None                            Mr. Hart

            Mr. Ardillo                                                                               Mrs. Bailey-Simmons

            Mr. Link

            Mr. Caves

            Ms. Dixon

            Mr. Bardwell

 

The motion was adopted with 6 yeas, 0 nays, and Mr. Hart and Mrs. Bailey-Simmons

absent.

 

            It was moved by Mr. Ardillo, seconded by Mr. Bardwell, to uphold the Superintendent’s recommendation for termination of  Mrs. Ida Stevens retroactive to the date of her suspension without pay. A roll call vote yielded the following results.

 

            YEAS                                                  NAYS                         ABSENT

 

            Mr. Richardson                                    None                            Mr. Hart

            Mr. Ardillo                                                                               Mrs. Bailey-Simmons

            Mr. Link

            Mr. Caves

            Ms. Dixon

            Mr. Bardwell

 

            The motion was adopted with 6 Yeas, 0 Nays, and Mr. Hart and Mrs. Bailey-Simmons absent.

 

            President Link stated that the hearing for Mrs. Ida Stevens was concluded and she was terminated as a teacher in the Tangipahoa Parish School System.

 

            Hearing no objection, the Board proceeded with the tenure hearing for Mrs. Romeekia Richard, teacher at Hammond Westside Upper Elementary School.

 

            It was moved by Mr. Ardillo, seconded by Mr. Williams, to utilize the same procedure during this tenure hearing as was used in the tenure hearing for Mrs. Ida Stevens. Hearing no objection, the motion was adopted, with Mr. Hart and Mrs. Bailey-Simmons absent.

 

            Mr. Robert Hammonds made his opening statement and on behalf of Superintendent Allen, called as a witness and questioned Ms. Brenda Johnson, Principal, Hammond Westside Upper Elementary School.

 

Exhibits 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 2, 3, 4, and 4A, were introduced into evidence on behalf of  Superintendent Allen.

 

            Mr. Hammonds  introduced and offered as an exhibit, the transcript of Ms. Johnson’s testimony in the previous tenure hearing into the record as soon as the transcript is completed.

 

Exhibits 6, 7, 5, 5A, 5B, 8, and 9, were introduced into evidence on behalf of  Superintendent Allen.

 

            Mr. Hammonds called as a witness and questioned Mrs. Paulette Walkwitz, Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction.

 

            Mr. Hammonds called as a witness and questioned  Dr. Leslie M. Mabry, Assistant Superintendent of Administration and Curriculum and Instruction.

 

Mr. Hammonds  introduced and offered as an exhibit, the transcript of Mrs. Paulette Walkwitz’s  and Dr. Leslie Mabry ‘s testimonies in the previous tenure hearing into the record.       

 

Mr. Hammonds  called as a witness and questioned Mr. Virgil Allen, Superintendent of the Tangipahoa Parish School System.

 

Mr. Hammonds  introduced and offered as an exhibit, the transcript of Superintendent Virgil Allen’s testimony in the previous tenure hearing into the record.

 

Mr. Hammonds requested that the record reflect that the entire direct, cross and re-direct examination of witnesses’ transcripts from the tenure hearing for Mrs. Ida Stevens be entered into the record.

 

Mr. Moody requested that the record reflect that Mrs. Richard was sent notice of the tenure hearing by certified mail, with a copy to her attorney, and her attorney also received a fax

notification of the date and time of the tenure hearing and was not present for Mrs. Romeekia Richard’s hearing. Mrs. Richard and her attorney made no effort to contact Mr. Hammonds regarding their attendance at the tenure hearing.

           

            Mr. Hammonds indicated that the Board should vote on the individual charges against Mrs. Richard.

 

A  roll call vote on the charges yielded the results listed below.

 

#1:       Whether the Board finds that the Superintendent has proven by a preponderance of the evidence that the employee is guilty of the facts alleged in the charge?

 

            YEAS                                                  NAYS                         ABSENT

 

            Mr. Richardson                                    None                            Mr. Hart

            Mr. Ardillo                                                                               Mrs. Bailey-Simmons

            Mr. Link

            Mr. Caves

            Ms. Dixon

            Mr. Bardwell

            Mr. Williams

           

            The motion was adopted with 7 yeas, 0 nays, and Mr. Hart and Mrs. Bailey-Simmons absent.

 

#2:       Since you have found the facts as alleged to be true, do you feel that those facts constitute willful neglect of duty on the part of the employee?

 

            YEAS                                                  NAYS                         ABSENT

 

            Mr. Richardson                                    None                            Mr. Hart

            Mr. Ardillo                                                                               Mrs. Bailey-Simmons

            Mr. Link

            Mr. Caves

            Ms. Dixon

            Mr. Bardwell

            Mr. Williams

 

            The motion was adopted with 7 yeas, 0 nays, and Mr. Hart and Mrs. Bailey-Simmons absent.

 

#3.       Based on the findings, facts and conclusions that the Board has just made, do you feel that disciplinary action should be taken against the employee?

 

            YEAS                                                  NAYS                         ABSENT

 

            Mr. Richardson                                    None                            Mr. Hart

            Mr. Ardillo                                                                               Mrs. Bailey-Simmons

            Mr. Link

            Mr. Caves

            Ms. Dixon

            Mr. Bardwell

            Mr. Williams

 

            The motion was adopted with 7 yeas, 0 nays, and Mr. Hart and Mrs. Bailey-Simmons absent.

 

It was moved by Mr. Caves, seconded by Mr. Ardillo, to uphold the Superintendent’s recommendation for termination of  Mrs. Romeekia Richard retroactive to the date of her suspension without pay. A roll call vote yielded the following results.

 

 

            YEAS                                                  NAYS                         ABSENT

 

            Mr. Richardson                                    None                            Mr. Hart

            Mr. Ardillo                                                                               Mrs. Bailey-Simmons

            Mr. Link

            Mr. Caves

Ms. Dixon

            Mr. Bardwell

            Mr. Williams

 

The motion was adopted with 7 Yeas, 0 Nays, and Mr. Hart and Mrs. Bailey-Simmons absent.

 

President Link stated that the hearing for Mrs. Romeekia Richard was concluded and she was terminated as a teacher in the Tangipahoa Parish School System.

 

            It was moved by Mr. Caves, seconded by Mr. Williams, that the meeting be adjourned (8:30 p.m.). Hearing no objection, the motion was adopted, with Mr. Hart, and Mrs. Bailey-Simmons absent.

 

           

                                                                                    Respectfully Submitted,

 

 

 

                                                                                    Al Link, President

 

 

 

VIRGIL ALLEN Secretary-Treasurer

 

Recorded By: Jo-Ann L. Frazier (12/02/02)