Parties reach resolution, for now, over conflict in St. Martin Parish

8th February 2021   ·   0 Comments

By Ryan Whirty
Contributing Writer

Several weeks after about a dozen teachers and staff at a high school in St. Martin Parish were directed to remove shirts they were wearing that celebrated the inauguration of Vice President Kamala Harris, advocates for the targeted faculty say they are satisfied, at least for now, with the steps district administrators are taking to bridge the conflict.

On Jan. 20, Harris’ inauguration in Washington, D.C., made her the first African American, the first woman and the first person of South Asian descent to become the second-highest official in the nation’s executive branch, a milestone that triggered celebrations of women, girls and people of color across the country.

Numerous faculty members at Breaux Bridge High School in St. Martin Parish – located west of Baton Rouge, or about 125 miles from New Orleans – on that day wore “Chucks and Pearls” apparel that symbolized the achievements of Harris.

The clothing included T-shirts adorned with the phrase “Chucks and Pearls” and illustrations of famous Chuck Taylor sneakers and a string of pearls, as well as actual rings of pearls and Chucks sneakers.

Harris has worn the now iconic clothing, jewelry and shoes, and the pearls are a reference to the tradition of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, of which Harris is a member. The national AKA declared Jan. 20 “Kamala D. Harris Day.” Harris joined the AKA chapter at Howard University, making her also the first HBCU graduate to become vice president.

Administrators reprimanded the teachers and staff who were wearing the shirts and directed them to either change or cover the T-shirt in question or go home, on the grounds that the shirts represented a political endorsement. Administrators said that official school district policy bars teachers, staff and other employees from wearing any apparel supporting a political candidate or political message.

However, the faculty and staff members targeted by the administrative directive, as well as advocacy groups that have since criticized the school district, say the clothing doesn’t endorse Harris’ political beliefs or her candidacy, but rather serves as a celebration of the significant cultural shift her inauguration represents.

“The [St. Martin] situation in particular was only one event of many that we’re celebrating this historic moment,” Dr. Tia Mills, president of the Louisiana Association of Educators, told The Louisiana Weekly.

“[Harris’ inauguration] was a tremendous achievement for us,” added Mills, who, as a Black woman, was personally moved by the inauguration. “We were able to break the glass ceiling. The fact that it was a woman was extremely important to us. Girls can now see themselves being in that [vice presidential] position because it happened to [Harris]. They can see that it is a possibility, and that it can be achieved. This is an extraordinary time for us.”

On Jan. 22, two days after the incident at Breaux Bridge High School, representatives from the LAE met with St. Martin Parish School District administrators to discuss the situation. Mills subsequently told The Louisiana Weekly that the meeting went well, and that the LAE – which represents and provides support to teachers and educators across the state and ways to improve public education in Louisiana – is pleased with how the St. Martin administration is addressing a situation that many have perceived as a violation of free speech and teacher rights.

“We followed up with the ladies [after the meeting], and they were satisfied that the district is addressing this issue,” she said.

Mills said the LAE continues to strive for the safety and well being of educators and to make sure the teachers are provided with enough support from their bosses. “We wanted to make sure those needs are being met, and they are,” Mills said.

“The best thing to do [in this situation] is to talk with [those involved],” she added. “We were not there to cause any issues with their employers, but we do hope there is a concentrated effort to repair the relationships that were harmed [Jan. 20].

“We are going to make sure that we see the issue through, and make sure we are walking down the path to safe and healthy environments for our teachers.”

Also intervening in the situation at Breaux Bridge High was the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, which sent a letter to the district on Jan. 25 expressing the organization’s concerns. That letter reads:

“The Superintendent acted after meeting with the Louisiana Association of Educators and learning about the t-shirts’ symbolic meaning within African-American culture,” the letter stated. “While we applaud his apology, the District should take further action to communicate that it values the rich history of HBCUs and Black sororities and fraternities. The District should also take steps to deepen its relationships with these Black institutions. Ensuring that graduates and members of such Black institutions are supported by the District is essential to building a welcoming culture in schools across the District and to recruiting and retaining Black faculty…We respectfully request a call with the Superintendent to discuss this incident. We would appreciate the chance to speak with the affected teachers without counsel for the District. Please also provide the names of the affected teachers, their race, roles, schools, contact information and the District policies, correspondence, or other information related to the incident. Thank you.”

The LDF’s particular interest in the situation at Breaux Bridge is a federal Consent Order that was adopted in early 2016 that settled a decades-old desegregation legal case that dated back to the 1960s and the statewide Civil Rights Movement in that period.

One of the many conditions that St. Martin Parish School District must meet under the desegregation consent order and settlement agreement is recruiting and hiring more Black teachers and staff and making the faculty more culturally diverse, which the NAACP said will provide all students with a broader, more enriching education.

NAACP Legal Defense Fund attorney Deuel Ross told The Louisiana Weekly that the incident on Jan. 20 represents the failure of school district administrators to meet that particular part of the consent order and settlement agreement. Ross said that LDF staff have been continuing to monitor the employment practices at SMPSD and subsequently learned of the Jan. 20 event through news reports.

As such, he said, “we reached out on behalf of our clients,” adding that the clothing demand that was made of the teachers “is likely not in compliance” with the consent agreement. “Our guess is that all the people to change or go home were Black,” Ross said. “We are really concerned and hoping to address it.”

He added that the LDF has received reports that the SMPSD has recently lost numerous Black faculty and has had difficulty retaining teachers of color, a situation that, if proven, would also violate the 2016 agreement.

“I do think that it is concerning that one of the things we are worrying about is the recruiting and retention of Black teachers,” he said, “and it doesn’t help that the district is in the news for punishing Black teachers who are celebrating Black achievement.”

This is not the first time recently that the NAACP LDF has voiced concerns about the school district’s employment practices related to the consent order. In September 2019, Ross and other defense fund attorneys filed a response in U.S. District Court to the SMPSD’s motion that the district has succeeded in meeting the faculty employment requirements in the consent agreement.

In the response, LDF attorneys filed a response to the school district’s motion disputing the district’s motion.

“The Board has not met the express terms of this Court’s desegregation orders,” the filing stated. “Among other concerns, two of the District’s nearly all-white schools continue to have nearly all-white faculty in contravention of the established minimum diversity goals. This failure to desegregate one-race faculty at one-race schools reinforces a message of racial isolation that defies the District’s contention that it is undertaking a good faith effort to integrate. The District also appears to be engaged in racial discrimination in the hiring and dismissal of Black faculty.

“Rather than exploring any number of reasonable means of meeting the diversity goals and eradicating discrimination, however, the District persisted under plans that resulted in one-race faculties and, at some schools, severe Black faculty attrition in violation of the Consent Order. … the District has not adopted plans that achieve the goal of desegregation …”

When contacted by The Louisiana Weekly, SMPSD Superintendent Allen Blanchard Jr. declined to comment for this article and said that at this time, he and the district are standing by with the lengthy statement Blanchard had released to local media following the incident.

“On Jan. 20, I was informed that a few employees were wearing t-shirts of a political nature, and there was fear of a disruption of the educational environment of that school,” Blanchard stated at the time. “School board policy and Louisiana law prohibits political activity by employees during the school day. The school exercised an exception to our dress code policy that day, calling for a jean day for teachers. The expectation has traditionally been that students and employees will wear spirit shirts that emphasize spirit for their school. Again, it would violate school board policy and our dress code to wear a shirt for a political activity purpose at any time during the school day.

“With that information in mind, a decision was made to enforce school board policy and require that any political statements be removed or hidden.

“Since that time, I have had an opportunity to meet with the teachers involved, and they provided an explanation of their intent and purpose. They assured me that they did not intend to engage in political activity, but rather, they were expressing support of their sorority and pride in our country’s first female vice-president.

“During this election cycle and those before, we have tried to keep politics out of the schools and classrooms. We have had to address other employees on a few occasions for apparel or comments that were political in nature. It was never my intention to insult these teachers, the sorority involved, the sorority system or women in general. I apologize if it was taken in that manner, as that was not my intent. I am the father of three daughters, and I firmly believe that they are entitled to the equal pursuit of their goals and dreams.”

This article originally published in the February 8, 2021 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.