ST. MARTIN PARISH — If your child attends a school in St. Martin Parish changes are underway.
The first information session was held at Parks Primary School for parents affected by new zoning changes, and parents were vocal when the floor was open for comment.
“The academic level, their school is not a good grade school, so you're taking our kids to put them there like,” one parent said in the crowd.
St. Martin Parish School Board Superintendent Frederick Wiltz informed the public the timing was not the school district's decision.
"It was court-ordered,” Wiltz said.
“That means we didn't have a choice.”
Even though the decision was out of the district's hands, fingers were still pointed at Wiltz.
"Go back to Lafayette,” a parent in the crowd shouted at Wiltz while walking out.
On Tuesday, the school board announced circuit court-ordered changes for several current attendance zone lines.
They said this was part of the ongoing 1965 federal desegregation case.
These changes in zoning will impact 159 students in grades K-12. Students in grades 11 and 12 have the option to remain at their current schools.
“You’re taking my child from four minutes from where he stays and traveling him 25 minutes to a whole other school,” one parent said to the board.
Parents are given the option to apply for a transfer by August 6. However, that transfer is not guaranteed.
Tonya Joseph's daughter currently attends Parks Middle School, and she was one of the parents affected by the new zoning.
"We live three minutes up the road,” Joseph said.
“And I didn't want to send her all the way to St. Martinville Jr. High, which is going towards New Iberia."
Even though Joseph lives in Parks, her daughter now falls in the zoning lines of St. Martinville Junior High School.
"It's like you're taking these kids out of what they know, and my child is not good with change, taking her out of her comfort zone, and I just feel bad and I'm fighting for her,” Joseph said.
Joseph said her daughter was not too happy when she heard the news, and travel times are also a concern.
"What time the kids gonna have to wake up in the morning?” Joseph asked.
“What time they gonna get home in the evenings? You know. I prefer my kids to stay close to home.”
Jana Babin, a mother of four from Parks was attending the session. She said while she wasn't affected by the re-zoning, her neighbors a few doors down will now have to switch schools.
"It does affect the friends that our kids have made since kindergarten," Babin said.
"Lots of relationships are affected but even more importantly the fact that we are choosing our kids to not look at race and race is a deciding factor. And it's absolutely disgusting that I have to force this on my children."
Earlier today I spoke with Catahoula parent Amber La'Pierre.
She said she moved to her Catahoula neighborhood for her children to attend Catahoula Elementary which closed its doors in 2022.
Her son was taking a bus to St. Martinville Junior High School with an hour's commute.
Although unaffected by the re-zoning, she said she's no longer keeping her children in St. Martin Parish Public Schools.
"This past August they overruled it, they said it was opening so we bought a house and moved here," La'Pierre said.
The school board assured that there would be a reimbursement for school uniforms purchased if a child was no longer zoned for that school.
To see if your child was re-zoned click here.
