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Court-imposed magnet plan and enrollment thresholds govern any reopening of Catahoula Elementary, district staff say
Summary
District staff outlined a history of court oversight and specific conditions—including enrollment targets and an exclusive pupil-teacher ratio—that must be met before Catahoula Elementary may reopen; no board vote was taken.
A district staff member told the St. Martin Parish School Board that a series of court orders and consent decrees, plus a court-approved magnet implementation plan, set specific conditions the district must meet before Catahoula Elementary may reopen.
The staff member summarized the legal history and criteria that remain in force, saying the 2015–16 consent orders addressed student assignment, faculty assignment and quality of education; later rulings and filings led to further oversight. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals remanded the closure of Catahoula to the district court, and in 2023 the district court adopted a plaintiffs' proposal tied to reopening that included a signed magnet plan and other stipulations.
Why this matters: reopening a school in St. Martin Parish will require compliance with federal court orders that aim to ensure the district has eliminated the vestiges of past segregation “to the extent…
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