Lafayette School Board Could End Up In Federal Court

The Lafayette Parish School Board could end up in federal court if it doesn't drop its investigation into Superintendent Pat Cooper and reverse some of its budget cuts.

Lafayette attorney Gary McGoffin has drafted litigation (read it here) on behalf of Cajundome Director Greg Davis, a longtime school system advocate. McGoffin notified Cooper, Board President Hunter Beasley and Robert Hammonds — the board's lawyer — of his client's intentions in a letter delivered Monday (read that here), saying suit could be filed as soon as next week.

In addition to dropping the investigation into Cooper, Davis also wants the board to evoke a state law allowing it to use up to 50 percent of last year's funds to prevent millions of dollars in approved cuts.

The suit's draft alleges the cuts most deeply affect the school system's low-performing schools.

In addition to the board, the draft lists Mark Allen Babineaux and Tehmi Chassion as defendants. Davis wants them barred from voting on matters concerning Cooper's employment on the basis of "established bias" against the superintendent.

McGoffin also prepared two resolutions for the board to consider at its Aug. 6 meeting Wednesday (read them here). One ends the investigation into Cooper, and another would use money from the 2013-2014 fiscal year to prevent some of the district's deep cuts approved by the board.

The board may go into executive session at its Wednesday meeting to address the matter.