Cooper Hearing To Be Held In Public

Lafayette Parish Public Schools Superintendent Pat Cooper will waive his right to a private meeting when a special attorney is expected to present formal charges against the school system head.

A special meeting has been scheduled for Thursday at the Lafayette Parish School Board.

Cooper said because the investigation by special attorney Dennis Blunt was paid for with taxpayer dollars, the public has the right to view the proceedings.

The board voted in July 2013 to hire a special attorney to investigate Cooper. Cooper maintains he has done nothing wrong, and the disputes between he and the board resolve around different interpretations of Act 1. The education reform law, which is still being battled in the courts, transfers wide ranging powers from local school boards to superintendents.