Do we want it to come to this...

Attorney withdraws

...but if necessary...

We all need to come together to monitor the progress of the parish school system as it pertains to the desegregation order. Mr. Carter is our counsel in federal court against the School Board and we need to know if our interests are being represented.

Why have we come here?

Black parents and teachers in Jefferson Parish Public Schools...we need your help! Register with your comment and include your name and school at which your child attends.

The attorney for the plaintiffs, Lena Dandridge-Houston and all Black children and Teachers in the Jefferson Parish School System has not made time to meet with his clients. We are requesting to sit with Mr. Gideon Carter to review his strategy thus far for the parents and teachers. We wish also to present our perspective of the process as the court ordered consent decree moves forward toward its 3 year mark (2011) at which time the court will or will not declare JPSS's unitary.

Letter to "Our" attorney, Gideon Carter:

As African American parents who have children attending Jefferson Parish School, we were excited by the opportunity that "Dandridge" afforded us in providing enhanced educational opportunities for our children. One year into the recent approval of the consent decree, we are concerned with the overall direction that the school system has taken. There has been no clear guidance to us and attempts at getting our questions answered have left us even more confused.

We started this process feeling empowered to take constructive roles in the education of our children and help make Jefferson Parish School system work for all of it's children, regardless of which side of the river they reside. As things stand now, however, we are left feeling helpless and largely ignored by the school board and the superintendent. We would like to have a stronger voice in the education of our children and deserve updates on the progress that has been made thus far.

A number of us have approached you about continuing problems in the school district, yet there continues to exist a lack of clarity regarding the overall direction of the district under this phase of the litigation. Accordingly, we are now requesting the opportunity to sit down with you – the attorney for the plaintiffs – to discuss our questions and concerns and to receive an update on the “Dandridge” litigation.