The president of the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board, Mike Gaudet, is adding his name to the growing list of those calling on fellow school board member Connie Bernard to resign.
In a letter issued this morning, Gaudet says he doesn’t make the request lightly but that the controversy surrounding Bernard has eroded “her ability to retain the confidence of the public that we serve. We work diligently to improve public education in East Baton Rouge and without public confidence, our job is more difficult. Most critically the children, with whose education we are entrusted, will suffer the greatest in the long run. I now respectfully ask Mrs. Bernard to resign her office as a member of the EBR School Board.”
In his letter, Gaudet says he is not taking a position on the effort to recall Bernard that is currently underway.
Bernard first came under fire earlier this month for suggesting those pushing to rename Lee High School should learn more about the Confederate general for whom the school is named. Then, at the June 22 school board meeting at which the controversial issue was discussed, Bernard was seen shopping online.
When confronted by activists Gary Chambers, Bernard said the image was merely a pop-up ad for an online retailer. A subsequent media report based on a public records request, however, showed Bernard was on the website of the online store during the meeting.
Bernard has declined to comment, though she issued a statement last week saying she will not step down.
Since then, the Baton Rouge Area Chamber’s political action committee, FuturePAC, has called for her resignation. The board’s Black members also have asked her to step down.
Gaudet is the first white member of the board to call for her resignation, suggesting, in his letter, that the ongoing flap has become a distraction at a time when the board faces significant challenges.
“We must focus on educational issues impacting our children now,” the letter says. “Reopening schools amid the Covid-19 pandemic, many low performing schools, on-boarding a new Superintendent, unifying our community, budget inequities and funding shortages are just a few of the challenges facing us. These should be our focus, now and in the future.”
