Board hears drive to restore Battle of New Orleans curriculum connections at Chalmette battlefield

Charles Casar, a local presenter, told the St. Bernard Parish School Board committee on Jan. 14 that the Battle of New Orleans is an under-taught, locally rooted chapter of American history and urged renewed student engagement with the Chalmette battlefield and related park programs.

Casar framed the battlefield as a pivotal site and a teaching opportunity: "The most powerful army in the world in 1815 was literally where we are," he said, and argued that the community's story has been diminished by revisionist narratives. He described efforts with the National Park Service and new curriculum alignment so students visit the site while they are studying the topic.

Why it matters: Casar said visits tied to the state’s revised 6th–8th grade curriculum help students better understand the multicultural composition of forces that fought at Chalmette — including Native Americans, free people of color, enslaved people, and recent immigrants — and the labor that built local defenses such as the Rodriguez Canal earthworks.

Casar noted practical hurdles for experiential learning: weather has repeatedly disrupted reenactments and one recent January 8 ceremony was affected by cold rain. He said the parish met with Park Service staff and that the park’s new administration is receptive to restoring school programs. "There is a mass celebrated January 8th since the time of the battle to commemorate in Thanksgiving for the victory," Casar said, adding that civic groups and historic organizations regularly wreath the monument.

Board members and staff discussed curriculum improvements and local partnerships. The committee learned that the state has reworked content across middle grades to present a more continuous treatment of the Battle of New Orleans, and Casar recommended building non-weather-dependent alternatives so students can reliably experience the material while it is being taught in class.

Background and context: Casar cited local historians and recent scholarship (he referenced Curtis Manning’s concise history of St. Bernard Parish) and highlighted the battlefield’s three obelisks as markers of a larger American narrative. He described the 1815 effort as "the first and only true multicultural battle in the history of America," saying people from multiple backgrounds participated in defense works and combat.

The committee did not take formal action on the presentation but thanked Casar and organizers; board members said they support continued work to make the site accessible to students and to integrate the battlefield into curricular plans.