The First Amendment of the Constitution grants U.S. citizens the right to freedom of speech. At a recent Vermilion Parish school board meeting, one Louisiana resident and teacher was stripped of this right.
On Jan. 8, English teacher, Deyshia Hargrave, was forced to leave a school board meeting after stating her disapproval of the upcoming raise for the superintendent.
According to NPR, Vermilion Parish superintendent Jerome Puyau’s previous salary was about $110,000. The new proposed contract being addressed during the meeting would raise his salary to $140,000.
“I have a serious issue with a superintendent or any person in a position of leadership getting any type of raise,” Hargrave said in the NPR article. “It’s absurd that we’re even considering giving someone a raise when these teachers are working this hard and not getting a dime.”
One with common sense could not agree more with Hargrave’s statement. In the meeting, many teachers and people from the crowd voiced their outrage alongside Hargrave regarding the proposed raise.
Footage of the meeting is on YouTube. It’s obvious Hargrave brought up this deeply concerning matter without belligerence and spoke about her concerns in a logical and articulate manner. After the second time speaking out in the meeting, the judge had the officer remove her, much to the crowd’s shock and disappointment.
It is unclear whether she actually resisted the officer due to the lack of video footage in the hallway during that time.
The real issue is not the details of her arrest, but the impediment of the teacher’s constitutional right to express her views freely. What was displayed during the meeting was an abuse of power that hindered the betterment of the Vermilion Parish school system. Such an act should not be tolerated by the state.
The superintendent with the six-figure salary should not be taking more money from the current school workers. Rather, he should be giving back to improve the schools in the area. Teachers and school workers deserve a salary they can live on comfortably with a healthy dose of respect from employers, students and the community.
If teachers, school workers and schools received more money and respect, then the students would receive a better education with more resources and an increased chance of a brighter future.
Teachers have some of the most important jobs in our country. They shape our children to be smart and functional members of society. Without teachers, our society would be composed of mindless, lawless citizens.
This situation should be taken as a lesson, just like Hargrave mentioned in her personal statement to The New York Times after the debacle.
“I want them to see past the handcuffs and the arrest, and I want change to come from this,” she said in the article.
People should take this as a sign to be more vocal about local issues, especially those in local school systems. We need to care more about what happens around us and do more to help our communities.
It’s as simple as attending town hall meetings, school board meetings or any type of meeting that affects the community. We all need to be aware of how and where our money is being spent, and what bills or notions are being passed.
Go out and get involved in the local legislature. Participating as a community will only strengthen us and make us better for future generations.
Abigail Varnado is a 21-year-old English senior from Amite, Louisiana.