St. Helena Seeks Return Of Middle School

GREENSBURG, La. (AP) — The St. Helena Parish School Board has asked a federal court to transfer the state-run middle school back to the local district, saying the state's continued control is detrimental to the students and the parish.

The Advocate reports the Louisiana Department of Education's Recovery School District took over St. Helena Central Middle School in 2010 with permission from both the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and U.S. District Judge James J. Brady, who oversees the parish's 60-year-old desegregation suit.

Now, St. Helena school officials are asking Brady to give the issue another look.

School board attorney Nelson Taylor says the Recovery School District "has not demonstrated that its control has significantly improved the performance of middle school students," in a motion filed Thursday.