Prompted by fears that the Ebola virus could invade Louisiana, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approved emergency rules giving superintendents the authority to close schools or send students home if threats appear.

Obviously the Louisiana Federation of Teachers is disappointed by the high court’s decision. After a district court ruled three times that Act 1 is wholly or in part unconstitutional, we had hoped for a different outcome.

(Baton Rouge – August 20, 2014) Tuesday’s court ruling against the Jindal administration’s effort to block tests linked to Common Core State Standards fails to address the real issues facing teachers and their students as school opens for the 2014-15 school year, Louisiana Federation of Teachers President Steve Monaghan said today.

The August meeting of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education was contentious, with members clashing over the future of New Orleans’ John McDonogh High School, accountability for voucher schemes, the Recovery School District’s $213 million budget and more.

LFT President Steve Monaghan: “Let’s talk about the inherent unfairness of comparing Louisiana children with children in other states, given the current chaos and the documented failure to prepare students, parents, and teachers for these changes,”

(Baton Rouge – July 29, 2014) Moments after the state’s highest education board voted today to sue Gov. Bobby Jindal for blocking the funds to pay for Common Core testing, LFT President Steve Monaghan urged the board to suspend high-stakes testing until the controversy is resolved.