EPPS, La. (KTVE/KARD) – Epps parents are taking no for an answer. Ashley Harrington, a mother with two kids enrolled at the school, says she is doing everything she can to keep their school open.
“It’s horrible. You don’t eat, you don’t sleep. That’s all what you’re thinking about. What can I do? How can I make sure that my child’s mental health is together?” Harrignton said.
Back on June 13th, members of the West Carroll Parish School Board took a vote to shut down the school and change Epps High School into kindergarten through sixth-grade school due to a lack of certified teachers.
Parents and teachers say they were never notified of a possible school closure.
On June 16, parents, teachers, students and the school board gathered at Epps Town Hall located at 120 Maple Street to discuss the closure of Epps High School. But parents say they never heard back from the board.
On June 27, Epps High School parents, and the community gathered once again to introduce new ideas to the board, hoping the board could overturn their votes.
“I know we have one applicant who has applied, and she has a Masters in Kinesiology, and she can be our science teacher,” Harrington said. “She’s willing to go get certified. I’ve talked to a retired teacher who’s willing to come back in a lower grades,” Harrington explained.
But this time, members of the school board weren’t part of the meeting to hear what parents had to say.
“Unfortunately, none of the school board members could attend, according to their lawyer,” Harrington said. “I spoke to one of the committee members and she told me that as of today, she was supposed to meet along with our school board member, Christy Boyte, our superintendent, and she canceled the meeting today,” Harrington added. “When she found out, she said, Julie Linson, our school member, she said she is not allowed to come to the meeting and communicate with us,” Harrington explained.
Ashlynn Osborne is a 7th grader at Epps School, and she says it is very important for her to support her community.
“This is a community. It might be small, but we basically are a family together,” Osborne said.
Members of the committee said Epps High School superintendent, Christy Boyte , considered a Charter School as an option for the future of the school.
KTVE reached out to the school board but our calls haven’t been returned.