A representative for T.M. Landry College Preparatory in Breaux Bridge says changes are coming to the school two weeks after allegations of false records and abuse were brought to light.
School board member Greg Davis held a press conference today to address the allegations.
Although representatives for the school stand by the school’s success stories, they say they’ll make a number of changes to restore confidence in the school, according to Davis whose two grandchildren attend the school.
“We believe that it would be to the benefit of children in the greater Lafayette area if this institution continues. And so, it is our expectation we will be working very hard for this institution to continue,” he said.
The founders, Michael and Tracey Landry, who were not at the meeting, have agreed to resign from the board, but they will continue to teach at the school.
“The Landrys have provided an environment here at the T.M. Landry school that is a nurturing environment for our students. I can attest to that as a grandparent. I can also attest to it as a volunteer. Many other parents who have children attending school here have the same opinion,” said the new chairman of the board. “So, as far as we’re concerned, the Landrys are exactly where we want them to be. We want them to be in this school, in the classroom, teaching our students.”
The school has hired a New Orleans law firm to conduct an independent investigation into all of the allegations.
“When this happened, we understood the seriousness of this article, and we also understand how damaging it has been. After discussing it, we thought that the best thing that we could do was to hire some entity that would be separate from the T.M. Landry family,” said Davis.
Since the New York Times investigation, T.M. Landry has lost roughly 20 students. Enrollment is now down to 91 students.
We’re told the school’s independent investigation should wrap up in mid-January.
