St. Tammany Parish School District

The document details the Lakeshore High Veterans Day Ceremony, which honored veterans for their service. Key discussion points included recognizing attendees from veteran organizations like the American Legion and Lacombe VFW, emphasizing the significance of honoring all generations of veterans, and acknowledging the sacrifices made by service members and their families. The speaker, Colonel Jared Miller, detailed the history of Veterans Day, differentiated it from Memorial Day, and spoke about commitment, service beyond self, and the importance of asking veterans about their service. The event also featured musical performances by the band, a moment of silence for fallen service members, and a poem presentation.

The meeting began with roll call, an invocation, and the Pledge of Allegiance. The opening remarks welcomed students from Southeastern who are studying to become educators. Public comments included a candidate for State Senate discussing teacher pay raises, funding for early childhood education, and school facility financing, and a candidate for Parish President discussing cooperation with the school board on traffic safety. Another public speaker raised serious concerns regarding bullying in the school system, citing specific, traumatic incidents where victims were moved instead of perpetrators, and called for better documentation and enforcement of policies. A third speaker discussed procedural difficulties related to securing service hours for BCBAs working with students. A retired teacher voiced strong concerns about discipline issues, referencing a published letter about demoralizing classroom conditions and alleged pressure on teachers to underreport student disciplinary actions, including instances of violence against staff. The Board approved the minutes from the October 10, 2019, meeting. Retirement resolutions were approved for both certificated and non-certificated personnel. A significant agenda item involved adopting unified guidelines for the Industrial Tax Exemption Program for St. Tammany Parish, which aims to standardize the process involving various taxing authorities, with the St. Tammany Corporation leading the administrative embedding.

The meeting began with opening procedures including roll call, invocation, recognition of visitors, and the Superintendent Update. Monthly recognitions were presented, including acknowledgments for Black History Month and Career and Technical Education Month. Special recognition was given for student artwork related to the FY 2024-2025 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report. Key instructional discussions included a CTE Spotlight, Gifted Showcase, SWE Update, and the results of the High School Science Instructional Materials Adoption, for which the materials were subsequently accepted by motion. Under Human Resources, updates were provided, and the proposed School Calendar for the 2027-2028 school year was recommended for acceptance. The session concluded after public comments.

The Finance and Administrative Meeting included the approval of a resolution adopting portions of Executive Order JML 25-104 for the procurement of copyrighted materials, goods, and services. The committee reviewed Monthly Financial Statements and the Monthly Purchasing Report. In construction matters, bids were considered and accepted for three projects: the Campus Electrical and Special Systems Refeed at Covington Elementary School, the New Paved Parking Lot at Little Oak Middle School, and the Cafeteria Addition for Restroom and Alterations to Stage Area at Pearl River High School. A construction report was also presented, and public comments were received.

The meeting convened for the purpose of conducting student expulsion appeal hearing(s). The board entered into executive session to hear the expulsion appeal for Student A. Following the executive session, the board returned to the regular session and voted to uphold the Superintendent's action regarding Student A, with a divided vote. The agenda also included a section for Public Comments, limited to three minutes, and concluding announcements before adjournment.