Judge Halts Lafayette School Board’s Comeaux High Closure—For Now

LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL News) — A judge ruled Monday that the Lafayette Parish School System must stop all work on closing and repurposing Comeaux High School, at least for now.

Fifteenth Judicial District Court Judge Valerie Gotch-Garrett issued a preliminary injunction against the school board and school district, blocking the district from taking any steps toward the closure until a trial set for April 29. According to The Advocate, Gotch-Garrett told the parties the school district was “prohibited from moving on anything related to (Comeaux).”

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What the April 29 Trial Will Decide

At that hearing, Gotch-Garrett will determine whether the board violated its own school closure policy and whether it ran afoul of Louisiana’s open meeting laws when it voted on March 12 to shut the school. If she concludes either occurred, the board’s vote to close Comeaux would likely be voided.

Gotch-Garrett took an unusual step in issuing the injunction. State law typically requires the plaintiff to post a monetary bond when a restraining order or injunction is granted, money that could offset any harm to the defendant if the injunction is later found unwarranted. The judge declined to require one, saying this is a “community issue, and the school board needs to follow its own policy and procedures.”

The case was filed by Lafayette resident Suzanne Lajaunie, who is represented by attorney Brian Blackwell. The lawsuit first appeared before Gotch-Garrett at the end of March but was delayed after Lajaunie said she had hired an attorney who needed additional time to prepare. LPSS was represented by attorney Robert Hammonds.

The Allegations Against the School Board

Lajaunie’s petition, filed March 20 in 15th Judicial District Court, targets three areas: violations of Louisiana’s Open Meetings Law, a potential conflict of interest involving a board member, and the board’s failure to follow its own school closure policy.

On the open meetings question, Lajaunie alleges board members held private conversations during the March 12 meeting that were not audible to the public, either in the room or watching the meeting’s livestream. Louisiana law prohibits deliberations outside public view.

The petition also argues the board failed to satisfy its own written closure policy. That policy requires at least one public hearing with a full discussion opportunity, advance newspaper notice, and public disclosure of specific data before any vote. The data to be disclosed includes the proposed size and grade configuration of receiving schools, plans to expand those schools for incoming students, and a full cost breakdown with identified funding sources. Lajaunie’s petition contends the March 12 meeting fell short on all of those points. LPSS has argued in prior filings that the rule Lajaunie cites is a district administrative regulation, not a board policy with the force of law.

She testified Monday that someone at the March meeting told her attendees were not given a proper opportunity to provide public comment on the Comeaux closure item.

LPSS Assistant Superintendent of Administration and Operations Jennifer Gardner testified that to her knowledge, everyone who wanted to speak at the meeting was able to do so. Gardner also told the court that rezoned students would have access to the same curriculum and certified teachers at their new schools, and that renovating the Comeaux campus would give some 500 students currently on a career center waitlist a seat.

Robert Hammonds told the court that a plaintiff seeking a preliminary injunction must prove irreparable harm, entitlement to relief, and a likelihood of prevailing on the merits of the case.

How Comeaux Got Here

The board voted 5-2 on March 12 to close Ovey Comeaux High School at the end of the 2025-26 school year. Two board members who had voted against closure in a November 2024 vote were absent: District 9 Member Jeremy Hidalgo, whose district includes families zoned for Comeaux and who said he was at a conference scheduled months before the agenda item was created, and District 7 Member Joshua Edmond. Board Vice President David LeJeune and Board Member Amy Trahan cast the two dissenting votes.

Under the approved plan, Comeaux’s campus would be renovated to house the W.D. and Mary Baker Smith Career Center and E.J. Sam Accelerated School, with the athletic fields converted into a district-wide sports complex. The move is projected to save $2 million from the general fund used for teacher salaries and programming. Current students would be rezoned to Acadiana, Lafayette, or Southside high schools.

This was not the first time the board had considered closing Comeaux. In November 2024, the board voted 5-4 to keep the school open after an emotionally charged meeting. That vote came the same day state scores showed Comeaux had earned an A rating and the most academic growth of any school in the district.

Enrollment at Comeaux has declined sharply. Over the past five years, the school lost 42 percent of its student population and now operates at roughly 38 percent of its capacity of 1,700 students, with current enrollment around 640.

More than 80 people spoke against the closure during the March 12 meeting, which lasted more than four hours.

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