Vermilion Parish School Board cell phone program on hold

The Vermilion Parish School Board has decided not to start a pilot program to allow cell phones on the campus of Abbeville High or any other high school in the parish.
The education committee approved letting Abbeville High take part in the pilot program for a year. It allowed students to bring cell phones into the school, but students still could not use them on school grounds.
This past school year Abbeville High allowed students to check in cell phones at the front office when they walked into campus each morning.
The school took in around 20 phones each morning.
So, AHS Principal Ivy Landry wanted to lead the charge and volunteered his school for the program.
School Board member Chris Gautreaux of the North Vermilion area was not in favor of allowing cell phones on campus from the beginning.
Erath school board member Sara Duplechain said that at Erath High, students are allowed to use their phones in class for certain projects with Principal Mark Turner’s permission.
New school board member Chris Hebert asked, “Why do we need cell phones in the schools? I think instead of letting students use their cell phones, the school should provide I-Pads,which will do the same as a cell phone.”
School Board member Anthony Fontana said before they OK Abbeville for a pilot program, the school board must first come up with a plan and purpose for the pilot program.
The board approved delaying the pilot program until a plan is created by the curriculum department.
In other school board business:
•There are principal jobs opening at Rene Rost Middle School in Kaplan and Eaton Park Elementary in Abbeville. The positions have not been opened.
• The school board recognized Jacob and Brandy Gaspard for all the work they did at no cost to the school board by putting up the lights at Kaplan High School softball field.
• The school board now has a new Workers Compensation Insurance Company. The board approved the hiring of Amtrust North America, who gave the lowest bid of $323,238 or $36,000 cheaper than the current insurer LUBA Casualty gave the school board.
Last year, LUBA insured the school board for $321,819 a year. This year they submitted a new bid of $359,679.
• The school board approved leasing 3.7 acres of land located behind the Erath School gym. The lease is $1,000 per year.