Lafourche Parish School Board approves multiple policy revisions, benefits contracts and construction actions including $9.66M Bayou Boeuf school bid

The Lafourche Parish School Board on the recorded agenda approved a slate of policy revisions, benefit/vendor contracts, construction change orders and a low bid for a new elementary school.

Key approvals included revisions to student policies (absences/excuses, bullying and hazing, expulsion, child abuse reporting, instructional materials, and acceptable use for computers and electronic mail); acceptance of an insurance renewal quote for workers' compensation excess coverage; selection of benefit vendors; authorization for the superintendent to sign a MASPO purchasing-entity agreement for Verizon services; a three-year pharmacy benefit services contract with MedImpact; multiple construction change orders; and award of the Bayou Boeuf Elementary new school base bid.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of minutes and proclamations: motions carried (minutes of special and regular board meetings of 08/06/2025; proclamations for Constitution Week, Childhood Cancer Awareness Day, National Principals Month, Custodian Workers Recognition Day and School Bus Safety Week). Outcome: approved by general consent or voice vote as recorded.

- Policy revisions (Policy codes as recorded): JVD (student absences and excuses); JCDA (bullying and hazing); JDE (expulsion); JGCE (child abuse reporting); IF8 (instructional materials); IFBGA (acceptable use for computers, internet and electronic mail for pupils). Motions carried for each item; no public comment was recorded and no dissent was recorded in the meeting transcript.

- Insurance and benefits (business committee): renewal quote for workers' compensation excess insurance coverage from Norris Insurance Consultants Incorporated, sum $68,787 (motion moved by Miss Sharpenchan; second by Miss Bourgeois). Outcome: approved. Reliance Standard for VSP vision carrier for 2026 presented by Gallagher Benefit Services (Buddy Lade); motion seconded by Miss Wells; outcome: approved. MedImpact pharmacy benefit services accepted for the 02/2026 plan year for a gross amount of $19,214,966 for three years (presented by Gallagher Benefit Services); motion carried.

- MASPO purchasing-entity agreement: authorization for the superintendent to sign a MASPO contract to fund Verizon services; motion recorded as carried.

- Facilities and construction (land and facilities management committee): multiple change orders were approved, mostly to add contract days for inclement weather and to adjust scope. Examples recorded in the meeting include: a $2,793.73 change order to infill stage fence at Golden Meadow Middle School; $20,597.35 to add two days to St. Charles Elementary classroom addition; nine days added for hurricane Ida repairs to several projects; a two-day addition to the transportation center project; a credit change order of $19,410.50 for sanitary piping renovations at South Lafourche High School; and other routine adjustments. Motions carried on each item.

- Bid award: The board approved a low bid from Taylor Enterprises of Louisiana LLC for the Bayou Boeuf Elementary New School project with a base bid of $8,676,000, acceptance of alternate 1 ($170,038) and alternate 2 ($149,855), rejection of alternate 3 ($5,235), a bid total of $8,995,893, design fee $661,364, for a total project amount recorded as $9,657,257 (motion carried).

- Fee waiver: The board granted a request from South Lafourche flag football to waive a $1,500 field-use fee for South Lafourche High School for nine Saturday uses between Sept. 6 and Nov. 15 for a youth flag football league. Contact listed: Aiden Kale Zonewords. Motion carried.

Board procedure and votes

Most motions were made and seconded on the consent or committee recommendations and were recorded as "motion carries" or "motion passed" with no roll-call tallies published in the spoken record. No recorded roll-call vote totals were attached to the individual items in the transcript excerpts provided; the meeting record uses voice/consent approvals for a number of items.

Next steps and scheduling

The board published tentative dates for member in-service and committee meetings in September and a regular board meeting on Oct. 1; speakers closed the meeting by welcoming teachers and students back for the new school year and adjourning.