With six of the LPSB's nine members poised for Pat Cooper's termination, a request was filed Tuesday for a fast-tracked hearing on the federal lawsuit calling for the disqualification of two board members from voting on the matter due to bias.
With six of the Lafayette Parish School Board's nine members poised for Pat Cooper's termination, a request was filed Tuesday for a fast-tracked hearing on the federal lawsuit calling for the disqualification of two board members from voting on the matter due to bias.
Cajundome Director and education advocate Greg Davis has asked the feds for an expedited hearing to determine bias of two board members toward superintendent.
Following last week's report from attorney Dennis Blunt on his investigation into the superintendent, the board has called a special meeting Wednesday to receive his list of formal charges and vote on initiating termination proceedings against Cooper.
Cajundome Director Greg Davis and his attorney Gary McGoffin reacted Tuesday morning by filing a request for an expedited hearing on the federal lawsuit they filed recently calling for the disqualification of board members Tehmi Chassion and Mark Allen Babineaux from voting on any matters related to Cooper's employment with the school system. The suit includes a detailed history showing numerous examples of each board member's bias toward the super.
The suit calls for the issuance of "temporary restraining orders" against Babineaux and Chassion. Even one disqualification would make it impossible for the board to obtain the two-thirds vote it needs for Cooper's ouster.
Tuesday's petition reads:
In the event that either [Chassion or Babineaux] are disqualified, the statutorily mandated six-of-nine votes necessary to terminate the Superintendent will not be available and the termination proceeding should halt.
However, in the absence of a disqualification' determination, the entire termination proceeding will be tainted by the question of bias and give rise to judicial challenges of due process and fundamental fairness.
Essentially, everyone loses if the disqualification' issues are not decided in advance of any further steps in the termination process.
Go here for a more extensive look at all the examples of bias from Chassion and Babineaux, and here for the latest on the board's attempt at Cooper's job.