St. Landry Superintendent Says Facility Repairs Are On The Way

Among a list of facilities that need repair in the St. Landry Parish school system, one building at Palmetto Elementary need some immediate attention according to some parents.

Parent of a Palmetto Elementary student, Margo Baker, said students are attending classes in a building where mold and mildew runs rampant. She also reported rotting walls are yielding to light pressure--leaving holes between classrooms. She told KPEL news, in addition to the mold and mildew issue, swarming termites are also a problem in the rotting wooden building.

Palmetto Elementary Principal Kellie Rabalais deferred questioning to St. Landry Parish Superintendent Edward Brown's office.

Baker said some individuals have attempted to contact school board officials concerning the decrepit conditions of the classroom but received no response.

"I'd be happy even with a timeline or some sort of plan of action," Baker told KPEL. "Are these kids just supposed to sit in a rotting building for the rest of the semester?"

St. Landry Parish Superintendent Edward Brown responded to KPEL saying repairs to the facilities at Palmetto Elementary are on top priority of the school district's maintenance list.

"The cavalry is on its way," Brown said. "We have been made aware of the issue. We have moved the kids out of that classroom."

He said that the children attending classes in the affected building have been moved into the school's library, and into portable metal buildings, but KPEL sources say otherwise.

"There were talks about getting metal buildings, or portable buildings," Baker said about the supposed progress with the issue. "But that is where the conversation stopped."

Brown described the building as "an old army-type barracks building" that is in need of repairs. Knowing that this building is near the top of priorities for improvements, Brown said that there are more facility issues throughout the parish that also need attention.

"All of our buildings are over 20 years old," Brown added. "We are addressing those (maintenance) issues one at a time."