MCSB to meet with federal judge Monday

Monroe City School Board members will meet with Federal Judge Robbie James at 3 p.m. Monday at the Western District of Louisiana courthouse in downtown Monroe.

Documents drafted by MCSB attorney Doug Lawrence and filed with the court show that Board President Rodney McFarland and Vice President Brenda Shelling requested a status conference where the two will be able to convene with James. Board member Vickie Dayton then requested that all members of the board be allowed to attend. Board member Bill Willson asked that all board members and Superintendent Brent Vidrine be permitted to attend any status conference convened.

All the requests involve seeking clarity regarding how the board can meet requirements of a consent decree that was approved in December. The meeting is not meant to change the terms of the consent decree.

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The request for a conference specifies that all matters to be discussed "are limited to addressing internal matters of the school board’s operations and/or relations that have an impact on the school district’s desegregation obligations and do not pertain a dispute or controversy involving any plaintiff party or the United States Department of Justice."

A memorandum to the request, also drafted by Lawrence, reads: "The period that has followed the issuance of the December 2015 consent order has been a challenging and often contentious process for school board members. Individual board members have their views that they wish to express to this Court regarding ongoing and perhaps, unresolved, issues that may impede the ability of the board to discharge the duties and achieve the objectives mandated by the consent order. Some board members believe that it is necessary to communicate directly with the court in order to address ongoing and unresolved issues that affect the board’s operation."

James approved the request on Tuesday. The order specifies that individual board members should attend in person. The conference will include DOJ representatives via telephone. Additionally, any board member with questions or concerns could present those to Lawrence to be sent to the court by no later that midnight Thursday.

Follow the story:

• City School Board meeting turns contentious
• MCSB votes to send deseg proposal to judge
• Judge OKs Monroe schools consent decree
• 2 MCSB members leave meeting early
• McFarland sets new vote on consultants
• MCSB to vote on deseg hires Thursday
• MCSB votes to hire contested consultants
• ULM will not partner on MCSB program
• 3 MCSB members say they're being excluded
• MCSB fails to make quorum
• MCSB tax misses April 9 ballot
• DOJ to vet all three MCSB candidates
• DOJ approves all 3 MCSB candidates
• MCSB OK's expelled teens' return to Neville