Lafayette Superintendent To Engage Parents

LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) — Lafayette Superintendent Pat Cooper will hold a series of talks starting this month to help parents stay informed on district issues.

A districtwide parent group, Parents Empowered, organized the talks, which it calls Cafeteria Conversations.

The series starts April 17 at Comeaux High School.

Heather Blanchard, of Parents Empowered and a Woodvale Elementary parent, tells The Advocate a small group of parents have been meeting with Cooper on an occasional basis over the past few months to discuss issues, such as the need for more after-school programs.

Cooper said he hopes the planned talks help clear up misconceptions about such issues as new learning standards called the Common Core State Standards that have led to the development of new curriculum used in classrooms.