An ongoing federal desegregation case impacting the St. Mary Parish School District, is now calling for students to re-enroll in their zoned schools for the fall of 2024.
Following the nearly 60-year-long case, the school district is going through what its calling an “urgent and mandatory process” of student re-enrollment.
Andre Hebert, a Berwick resident said her children attend Berwick Junior High School and Berwick High School. She feels those attending their zoned schools should not have to go through the re-enrollment process.
“I don’t understand the need for it,”Hebert said.
“You’ve already verified that we live here. We’ve lived here since 2011 or 2012. We’ve been at this residence since my children were in elementary school. So I just don’t understand the need to continue this if you have the information on file and it hasn’t changed.”
Katelyn Comeaux’s daughter was told she was not allowed to try out for their high school’s cheer team after proof of residency failed.
Comeaux’s children are Berwick High School freshmen. She said she owns a residence in both Bayou Vista and Berwick and provided proof of a notarized lease as well as two bills.
But she said a school resource officer performed a home check at their Berwick residence and determined it wasn’t their permanent address.
“They wanna make them go to Patterson High School,”Comeaux said.
“I mean we’ve been with Berwick since the sixth grade they’re going into 10th grade next year and their lives are literally being ripped from their hands. It’s all they know.”
Jeremy Price’s son is an eighth grader attending Berwick Junior High School. Price is a resident of Berwick, and is for the zoning changes saying he’s not affected and it gets people in schools where they reside.
“I have nothing to hide,” Price said. “My kid goes to the proper school he is in the proper district. I feel like a lot of the issues people are fussing about is because their kids go to places their not supposed to.”
I reached out for comment from St. Mary Parish School District, but the Public Information Officer said the superintendent was unavailable for comment at the time.
According to the district parents must re-enroll their child from April 3rd through April 30th.
