Louisiana
Elementary school next to controversial Louisiana chemical plant to shut down next year
An elementary school a few hundred feet from an industrial plant that emits a likely cancer-causing chemical will close next year, the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board voted on Thursday, a landmark decision that follows a long push for action by environmental and community activists.
The 300 pre-kindergarteners through fourth graders who attend Fifth Ward Elementary School in Reserve will be relocated to two schools in the district.
The school board’s decision to close the school came amid a slew of legal battles involving the future of Fifth Ward Elementary, as well as the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Denka Performance Elastomer, which neighbors the elementary school, is the only facility in the country to emit chloroprene, classified as a likely carcinogen by the EPA.
The school is also in a U.S. census tract with the highest risk of cancer from air pollution in the country, according to an EPA report. The federal agency sent a letter in 2022 to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality suggesting that Black residents in the area were subjected to adverse health impacts because of Denka.
Average chloroprene emissions this August at the two fenceline monitors closest to the school were more than four times the figure the EPA cautioned against in its 2022 letter.
The Tokyo-based synthetic rubber manufacturing company makes products such as gloves and wetsuits.
The school board meeting grew tense at times, as members tussled over the future of the school and whether the planning committee that had initially approved the closure had been transparent.
Raydel Morris, who represents the district where Fifth Ward is located, opposed shuttering it, and raised concerns over the physical building being left to decay after the school closed. He added that if the impetus for closing the school was for “chemical reasons,” moving students to one of the nearby schools wouldn’t affect their risks from air pollution.
“We’re taking them from the front yard to the backyard,” he said.
Most of the heated discussions revolved around transparency and economics. The school has a declining enrollment and operates at less than 50 percent capacity, one board member noted.
But the legal battles and the nearby chemical plant loomed large. Nia Mitchell-Williams, who voted in favor of the school closure, noted that if they didn’t make a decision, the board would be leaving Fifth Ward’s future in the hands of a judge.
“That’s the real elephant in the room,” Mitchell-Williams said.
The former segregated Black school will see its final term this year, and in the 2025-2026 school year, students will either attend East St. John Preparatory or LaPlace Elementary. The motion passed on a vote 7-4.
After the closure, East St. John Preparatory will be renamed as Fifth Ward Preparatory, to preserve the name and history of the originally all-Black segregated school. Mitchell-Williams proposed this motion at the request of alumni of the school, she said.
Future of Fifth Ward
The vote comes after a federal judge in New Orleans in late October heard arguments in a desegregation case against the St. John school board. Lawyers with the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund argued that Fifth Ward should be shut down and its students should be moved to LaPlace Elementary School four miles away.
While the civil rights lawyers applauded the move to shut down the school, they opposed the school board’s plan to divide the students between East St. John Preparatory Academy, a middle school, and LaPlace Elementary.
Victor Jones said that East St. John Prep is still located too close to the Denka plant and is not designed for the younger elementary school children. The Legal Defense Fund wants to see all the Fifth Ward students and faculty kept together and moved to LaPlace Elementary. The lawyers also want Fifth Ward to be shut down immediately.
“We won’t be satisfied until the school is closed,” Jones said.
Here are the high school football scores from the second round of the Playoffs for the state of Louisiana:
Non-Select=
Division I=
Airline 42, Westgate 16
Destrehan 63, Shreveport Northwood 21
Neville 44, Covington 13
Ruston 42, Zachary 21
Southside 47, Walker 0
West Monroe 20, Mandeville 9
Division II=
Franklin Parish 35, Brusly 14
Franklinton 42, West Feliciana 21
Iowa 24, Wossman 8
Lakeshore 17, Iota 10
North DeSoto 38, Belle Chasse 14
Opelousas 30, Jennings 19
Division III=
Jena 56, Port Allen 20
Kinder 28, Westlake 12
Oak Grove 62, Mansfield 14
Pine 21, Kaplan 6
St. James 48, Donaldsonville 6
Sterlington 49, Lakeside 18
Union Parish 42, Red River 8
Division IV=
Franklin 22, DeQuincy 19
General Trass (Lake Providence) 38, North Iberville 6
Haynesville 61, Montgomery 0
Jeanerette 46, Grand Lake 24
Logansport 49, Elton 12
Mangham 44, West St. John 6
South Plaquemines 21, East Feliciana 6
Select=
Division I=
Alexandria 49, Evangel Christian Academy 6
Baton Rouge Catholic 42, East Jefferson 0
C.E. Byrd 37, Saint Paul’s 15
John Curtis Christian 28, Acadiana 27
Karr 56, Huntington 6
Division II=
E.D. White 51, Livingston Collegiate Academy 14
Leesville 42, Loyola Prep 24
Madison Prep 34, St. Charles Catholic 20
Shaw 49, Loranger 14
Vandebilt Catholic 49, Hannan 9
Division III=
Baton Rouge Episcopal 24, Pope John Paul 7
Bunkie 39, Amite 14
Calvary Baptist Academy 38, De La Salle 0
Dunham 42, Parkview Baptist 0
Lafayette Christian Academy 35, NDHS 28
New Iberia Catholic 59, Northlake Christian 22
Newman 49, D’Arbonne Woods 19
Sumner 48, Slaughter 28
Division IV=
Ascension Catholic 58, Opelousas Catholic 13
Covenant Christian Academy 41, Central Catholic 13
Kentwood 42, Ascension Episcopal 16
Ouachita Christian 28, Pointe Coupee Catholic 6
Riverside Academy 49, Hamilton Christian Academy 6
St. Edmund Catholic 78, St. Martin’s 37
Vermilion Catholic 47, Westminster Christian 17
If things go according to conservative lawmakers’ plan, Louisiana children will be tried as adults and sent to adult prisons more often in the future, because the Legislature could increase the number of crimes for which minors can be prosecuted as adults.
Oh, you thought Gov. Jeff Landry’s third special legislative session was all about tax reform?
You’re not wrong. Taxation is the main focus. But it’s not the only agenda item.
Even as lawmakers see crime decline across Louisiana, many still preach the myth that sending more children to adult facilities makes us all safer. It allows them to campaign on “lock ’em up” and “tough on crime” platforms.
State Sens. Heather Cloud, R-Turkey Creek, and Jay Morris, R-West Monroe, and state Rep. Debbie Villio, R-Kenner, quietly secured legislative approval of a proposed constitutional amendment toward that end in the just-ended special session. They were able to do it because most Louisianans remained focused on Gov. Jeff Landry’s efforts to reduce personal income taxes on the rich while raising Louisiana’s combined sales tax rate to the highest in the nation.
All the noise about tax reform provided the perfect cover for Cloud, Morris and Villio to find new ways to punish our youth. Their Senate Bill 2 glided through the legislative process without so much as a minor headwind.
Truth be told, Landry was right to call his third special session this year to push his tax reform ideas.
For far too long we haven’t had serious legislative debates about how best to raise Louisiana from near the bottom among states where businesses want to relocate and bring good jobs. The problem with focusing solely on tax reform is that businesses consider more than just taxation when they locate or expand. They also consider housing quality, employee-friendly laws and practices, quality K-12 and higher education, public safety and other quality-of-life factors.
Fortunately, overall crime has been declining in Louisiana.
That apparently means little to politicians who want to make crime more than a party-line talking point. Some simply want to put more people, especially minors, behind bars. The proposed constitutional amendment, if approved by voters, would allow lawmakers to treat 14-, 15- and 16-year-olds as adults without asking citizens if that’s what they want.
Our state constitution already allows lawmakers to authorize — by a two-thirds vote in each chamber — special juvenile procedures for minors charged with specific offenses:
- First- or second-degree murder
- Manslaughter
- Aggravated rape
- Armed robbery
- Aggravated burglary
- Aggravated kidnapping
- Attempted first-degree murder
- Attempted second-degree murder
- Forcible rape
- Simple rape
- Second-degree kidnapping.
- A second or subsequent aggravated battery
- A second or subsequent aggravated burglary
- A second or subsequent offense of burglary of an inhabited dwelling
- A second or subsequent felony-grade violation of the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Law or prohibited transactions in drug-related objects, involving the manufacture, distribution, or possession with intent to distribute controlled dangerous substances.
If approved by voters, SB2’s proposed constitutional amendment would eliminate that list and let lawmakers alone — by a two-thirds vote, without voters’ consent — decide which crimes should be “adult” offenses for minors
Imagine the Legislature deciding that a 14-year-old should be tried as an adult because he stole from a store or got into a fight at school. SB2 proponents say some children can’t be rehabilitated. Sigh.
Fortunately, voters will get to decide whether such scared-straight tactics make sense — or will actually attract more businesses to Louisiana. Do SB2’s sponsors really think businesses will come here because we incarcerate more youth? Shouldn’t we instead promote early childhood education and care, healthy living and higher literacy rates?
The governor, the Louisiana District Attorneys Association and the Louisiana Sheriffs Association have endorsed SB2. But not everyone agrees with them.
“Senate Bill 2 is unnecessary and has the potential to end juvenile justice in Louisiana,” Laramie Griffin, founder of Evolve Louisiana, shared with me. “This bill does nothing to improve public safety.” Griffin added that the bill has an “invisible list,” meaning lawmakers could “add whichever law they choose without public vote.”
The proposed amendment will appear on the next statewide ballot, likely in March. A “yes” vote would let lawmakers decide which crimes committed by minors can land them behind bars with adult criminals. A “no” vote would keep the current list and rule in the constitution.
Let’s not wait to get through the holidays, the new year and Carnival to focus on what this means.
Now is the time to launch a “Vote No!” campaign.
Let’s tell the world that we can be business-friendly, socially responsible and compassionate toward children who make mistakes.
Huntington’s Jamarion Washington is a Times Athlete of the Week.
Huntington’s Jamarion Washington talks about his team playing Edna Karr in the LHSAA football playoffs
U.S. News & World Report has released a database comprised of the top elementary and middle schools in 2025 in each state.
The rankings of schools can even be narrowed down by city and district levels.
Top 10 elementary schools in Louisiana
There are numerous Louisiana elementary and middle schools ranked within U.S. News’ database, and here are the top ten best ranked elementary schools statewide in Louisiana.
No. 1 T.S. Cooley Elementary Magnet School
According to U.S. News, T.S. Cooley Elementary Magnet School, located in Lake Charles, is ranked number one in Louisiana elementary schools and is a part of Calcasieu Parish Public Schools.
The student population of T.S. Cooley Elementary Magnet School is 300, and the school serves K-5.
No. 2 Metairie Academy for Advanced Studies
According to U.S. News, Metairie Academy for Advanced Studies is ranked number two in Louisiana Elementary School and is a part of Jefferson Parish Schools.
Metairie Academy for Advanced Studies enrollment is 368 students, and the school is kindergarten through fifth grade.
No. 3 Gretna No. 2 Academy for Advanced Studies
U.S. News says that Gretna No. 2 Academy for Advanced Studies is number three in Louisiana Elementary Schools and is a part of Jefferson Parish Schools.
The student enrollment at Gretna No. 2 Academy for Advanced Studies is 357 and serves the grades pre-k through fifth grade.
No. 4 Airline Park Academy for Advanced Studies
Airline Park Academy for Advanced Studies in Metairie is a part of Jefferson Parish Schools and is ranked number four in Louisiana Elementary Schools, according to U.S. News.
Airline Park Academy for Advanced Studies’ enrollment is 418 students and teaches pre-k through fifth grade.
No. 5 South Highlands Elementary Magnet School
South Highlands Elementary Magnet School in Shreveport is a part of Caddo Parish Public Schools and is ranked number five in Louisiana Elementary Schools, says U.S. News.
The student enrollment at South Highlands Elementary Magnet School is 517 and the school serves grades pre-k through fifth grade.
No. 6 Westdale Heights Academic Magnet School
Westdale Heights Academic Magnet School is part of East Baton Rouge Parish Schools and is ranked number six in Louisiana Elementary Schools, according to U.S. News.
Westdale Heights Academic Magnet School’s student enrollment is 464 and the school serves pre-k through fifth grade.
No. 7 Fairfield Magnet School
Fairfield Magnet School, located in Shreveport, is a part of Caddo Parish Public Schools and is ranked number seven on U.S. News’ list of the top Louisiana Elementary Schools.
Fairfield Magnet School has a student enrollment of 515 and teaches pre-k through fifth grade.
No. 8 Ray St. Pierre Academy for Advanced Studies
Ray St. Pierre Academy for Advanced Studies is located in Westwego, which is a part of Jefferson Parish Schools, and is ranked number eight in U.S. News’ list of Louisiana Elementary Schools.
Ray St. Pierre Academy for Advanced Studies teaches pre-k through fifth grade and the enrollment is 336 students.
No. 9 Phoenix Magnet Elementary School
Phoenix Magnet Elementary School, located in Alexandria, is a part of Rapides Parish Public Schools and is ranked number nine in U.S. News’ list of the best Louisiana Elementary Schools.
Phoenix Magnet Elementary School serves pre-k through fifth grade and student enrollment is 351.
No. 10 B.R. Foreign Language Academy Immersion Magnet
B.R. Foreign Language Academy Immersion Magnet is a part of East Baton Rouge Parish Schools and is ranked number ten in U.S. News’ list of Louisiana Elementary Schools.
Immersion Magnet’s student enrollment is 548 and serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.
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