Bossier Parish School Board is a
school district
A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations.
North America United States
In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, wh ...
headquartered in
Benton,
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. The Superintendent of Bossier Schools is, as of 2019, Mitch Downey. The district serves
Bossier Parish
Bossier Parish ( ; french: Paroisse de Bossier) is a parish located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2010 census, the population was 116,979, and 128,746 in 2020.
The parish seat is Benton. The principal city is ...
.
History
The first school built by Bossier Parish School Board was Benton High School in 1890. By 1905 It had three teachers and one graduating class. The school taught grades 6–12 with no more than 25 students per grade, with some grades missing students. In May 1969 the Supreme Court issued Desegregation in schools. The only black school in Benton, C.H. Irion High School, became Benton Elementary School; for the first time in Bossier School History blacks and whites were able to go to the same school. Benton High School currently teaches grades 9–12.
Controversies
Bossier Parish Schools was criticized when staff emails were published displaying a cavalier attitude about teaching
creationism
Creationism is the religious belief that nature, and aspects such as the universe, Earth, life, and humans, originated with supernatural acts of divine creation. Gunn 2004, p. 9, "The ''Concise Oxford Dictionary'' says that creationism is 't ...
directly from the
bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
to students. One teacher, Carolyn Goodwin, mentioned that "We pray at school functions and probably break the law all the time!!”
In February 2017,
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Americans United for Separation of Church and State (Americans United or AU for short) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that advocates for the disassociation of religion and religious organizations from government. The separation of church ...
filed a federal lawsuit alleging a variety of unconstitutional practices. The lawsuit was filed by multiple anonymous plaintiffs, represented by Americans United, alleging official prayers were at school events, many school events being held in churches. Classroom teachers taught creationism and required students to recite prayers. Teachers and coaches also promoted religious student clubs and off-campus religious events. Religious items were displayed in classrooms and offices.,
A joint consent decree between the Bossier Parish School Board and the Bossier parents represented by Americans United was filed with the U.S. District Court for Western Louisiana on January 22, 2018. This consent decree would end official prayers, teacher proselytizing to students, teachings of creationism, religious displays, or staff organizing any religious activities at Bossier Parish Schools. It would also require the district to create a monitoring committee to identify and resolve any future violations.
In September 2017 in reaction to the
protests by professional athletes during the playing of
"The Star Spangled Banner", the superintendent of the Bossier Parish School Board Scott Smith released a statement requiring all athletes at schools in the parish to stand during the playing of the anthem. The statement said, "Our principals and their coaching staffs have sole discretion in determining consequences should a student athlete elect not to stand during the National Anthem and they are making their expectations known to players and their families this week." A letter to parents and students signed by the principal of
Parkway High School outlined punishments ranging from a one-game suspension or physical punishments such as extra running for failure to comply to removal from the team for continued protests.
Updated: Punishment for protest during anthem outlined in Bossier
Shreveport Times
''The Times'' is a Gannett daily newspaper based in Shreveport, Louisiana. Its distribution area includes 12 parishes in Northwest Louisiana and three counties in East Texas. Its coverage focuses on issues affecting the Shreveport-Bossier market, ...
By Roy Lang III; September 28, 2017
Notable former school board members
* Henry Burns
* Jake W. Cameron
* Joe Waggonner
Joseph David Waggonner Jr. (September 7, 1918 – October 7, 2007) was a Democratic U.S. Representative for the 4th congressional district in northwest Louisiana from December 1961 to January 1979. He was also a confidant of Republican Presid ...
Schools
6-12 schools
* Plain Dealing High Schoo
( Plain Dealing, Louisiana, Plain Dealing)
High schools
* Airline High School
Airline High School is a High school, secondary school located in Bossier City, Louisiana, Bossier City, Louisiana, United States.
Athletics
Airline High athletics competes in the Louisiana High School Athletic Association, LHSAA.
Championships
...
(Bossier City
Bossier City ( ) is a city in Bossier Parish in the northwestern region of the U.S. state of Louisiana in the United States. It is the second most populous city in the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan statistical area. In 2020, it had a ...
)
* Benton High Schoolbr>
( Benton)
* Bossier High School (Louisiana), Bossier High Schoolbr>
(Bossier City)
* Haughton High School
Haughton High School is a public high school in Haughton, Louisiana, United States that enrolls 1,159 students from grades 9–12. The school received an "A" rating by the Louisiana Department of Education. It is administered by Bossier Parish Sc ...
( Haughton)
* Parkway High Schoolbr>
(Unincorporated area)
* br>
(Bossier City)
Middle schools
6-8
* Benton Middle School
Bossier Parish School Board is a school district headquartered in Benton, Louisiana, United States. The Superintendent of Bossier Schools is, as of 2019, Mitch Downey. The district serves Bossier Parish.
History
The first school built by Bo ...
(Benton)
* Cope Middle School (Bossier City)
Elm Grove Middle School
(Bossier City)
Greenacres Middle School
(Bossier City)
Haughton Middle School
(Haughton)
Rusheon Middle School
(Bossier City)
Elementary schools
PK-5
* Bossier Elementary School (Bossier City)
* Central Park Elementary School (Bossier City)
* Carrie Martin Elementary School (Plain Dealing)
* Plantation Park Elementary School (Bossier City)
* Meadowview Elementary School (Bossier City)
* Waller Elementary School (Bossier City)
K-5
* Apollo Elementary School (Bossier City)
* Elm Grove Elementary (Elm Grove)
* R. V. Kerr Elementary School (Bossier City)
Stockwell Place Elementary School
(Bossier City)
Legacy Elementary School
(Bossier City)
* W. T. Lewis Elementary School (Bossier City)
4-5
* Curtis Elementary School (Bossier City)
* Princeton Elementary School (Princeton)
K-4
* Benton Elementary School (Benton)
K-3
* Bellaire Elementary School (Bossier City)
* Sun City Elementary School (Bossier City)
2-3
* Platt Elementary School (South Bossier City)
K-1
* T. L. Rodes Elementary School (South Bossier City)
References
External links
Bossier Parish School Board
{{coord, 32.75308, -93.65978, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-LA, display=title
Education in Bossier Parish, Louisiana
School districts in Louisiana
School districts established in 1890
1890 establishments in Louisiana