THE ZACHA Y
ADVOCATE& T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M
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W e d n e s d ay, J u ly 29, 2026
12TH YEAR, NO. 42
$1.00N
Appeals court says BESE violated open meetings law
panel could force Circuit Court of Appeal ing with respect to taking with recent BESE decisions award him attorney fees. Agenda made no judge Regine Williams, a spokeschanges at the Louisiana found that wasn’t enough control of the two Baker to seek further litigation on similar grounds. Board of Elementary and to comply with state open schools.” woman for BESE, said the mention of Baker Secondary The First Circuit panel board is mulling over whethEducation, or meetings law. If the ruling stands, the “The agenda item does 11-member state education sent the matter back to a Ba- er or not to appeal. school, takeovers BESE.
BY CHARLES LUSSIER Staff writer
Louisiana’s top school board failed to properly alert members of the public that it was considering taking over two low-performing schools in Baker, an appellate court has found. The decision by a five-
The agenda for BESE’s meeting on March 12, 2025, made no direct mention of the schools in Baker or the takeovers. Instead, the agenda referenced a report by a BESE committee that met the day before; that committee had recommended taking over the two schools. Four of the five judges from the Louisiana First
Leila Pitchford AROUND ZACHARY
Hot air balloons coming The schedule for the fourth annual Zachary Really Hot Air Balloon Festival is out. The event is from Aug. 14-15 at BREC Zachary Community Park, 20055 Old Scenic Highway, Zachary. The festival opens at 4 p.m. each day and has free admission. Food trucks, BREC games, a photo booth, mechanical bull, and arts and crafts and other vendors will be on hand from 4 to 9:30 p.m. Tethered balloon rides will be from 6 to 9:30 p.m., weather permitting. The balloon glow will be at 7:45 to 9 p.m., weather permitting. On Friday, the 225 Jeep Club will be on site from 5:30 to 7 p.m. On Saturday, Zachary Cars & Coffee will be on-site from 4 to 5 p.m. On the entertainment stages, for Friday, a DJ will play from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Miss Zachary royalty will be introduced at 5 p.m. and Thomas Cain will perform from 7 to 9:30 p.m. For Saturday, a DJ will play from 4 to 5 p.m., the Lauren Lee Band will play from 5 to 7 p.m., and The Chase Tyler Band will play from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
not state what actions the committee was to take or consider at the meeting,” according to the panel’s 10page opinion. “Without any reference to other agendas or outside information, an observer would not be able to discern what actions the committee or BESE as a whole would have taken in the March 12, 2025 meet-
body will need to add a lot more detail to the traditionally bare-bones agendas of the seven or eight regular meetings it holds in a year. The ruling could force other public bodies in Louisiana that act similarly to make changes of their own. And the ruling, which was issued Tuesday, could open the door for others unhappy
ton Rouge judge for “further proceedings consistent with this opinion.” Dannie Garrett, an attorney representing the City of Baker School District, said he plans to ask that 19th Judicial District Judge Eboni Johnson Rose declare BESE’s vote last March as “null and void.” Garrett said he also plans to ask Rose to
SCHOOL PREP
PROVIDED PHOTOS
Parents and students receive forms and information at Northwestern Middle School’s orientation Thursday.
Community tailgate set The Zachary Athletic Foundation invites everyone to kick off the 2026-27 athletic year with the Community Taste of Bronco Tailgate Event, an afternoon of food, fun and Bronco pride. The tailgate tasting experience is $10 and celebrates the athletes, coaches and traditions of Zachary. The event is 2 to 5 p.m. Aug. 15 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church gym, 4826 Main St., Zachary. It will include a performance by the Zachary High School Band, a performance by the Zachary Belles and a performance by the Zachary Cheerleaders, as well as introduction of the coaches, and team captains and representatives from Zachary athletic programs. Purchase tickets at square. link/u/FUDHMmos?src=sheet.
Oriel Hampton, special education English, is a new teacher at Northwestern Middle School’s orientation.
Joy Jelks, eighth grade math teacher, and Michelle Kohler, art teacher
Back to school events Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Committee of Zachary Back to School Supply Giveaway starts at 10 a.m. Aug. 1 at the Zachary High School gymnasium, 4100 Bronco Lane.
ä See AROUND, page 2G
From left, counselor Megan Kirkindoll and Terin Patin and Principal Rebecca Brian
Dean of Students Charlie Brooks
“BESE has always sought to conduct its meetings in compliance with Louisiana law,” Williams said. “We will carefully review the court’s opinion and consider whether any changes to meeting agendas or related procedures are appropriate to ensure continued
ä See BESE, page 2G
Warren Brady ZACHARY SPORTS
Zachary High football: And so it begins… Took another trip to Colorado to avoid the heat last week and marry off one of my kids. I was joined by two of my brothers for hikes in the Rockies. It was during one of those hikes when the eldest pontificated that “the cosmos is in alignment with the sun, planets and stars in all the right places.” To which I replied, “Yeah, about time for fall camp.” This goes back to a long personal and familial history of football and the grueling preparation for the season. For me, my four brothers and father (the old ball coach) fall camp meant two-a-day or three-a-day practices under the late July and early August unforgiving sun. To this day they, and I, have nightmares of those days when coaches “tore us down to build us back up.” Back when I was younger and “in it” the nightmares came from exhaustion. Thirty-four years later the nightmares are triggered by a not-soinsignificant decision I made as a freshman. At the plucky age of 18, the Louisiana Tech coaches posed the question to me of “play immediately or be redshirted with the rest of the freshman class?” I chose to play. For those of you unfamiliar with the redshirt process, a redshirt meant you had five years to play during games for four seasons. Of course you had to go through fall camp five times. Yeah, I chose to play so I didn’t have to go through fall camp five times. Presently, the nightmare begins with a call from a coach barking at me to be in Ruston on a particular day because I owed Louisiana Tech one more year (but I didn’t take the redshirt, I meekly respond). Of course, I’m 56 years old and in no shape to make it through a single practice, much less a season. I wake up in a cold sweat and then feel tremendous relief when I realize it’s only a bad dream. At the ZHS athletic center on Thursday morning, I watched the latest group of aspiring gridiron greats check in for “boot camp.” Though time has passed since my torture, the temperature has not gotten cooler, and coaches have found new ways to maximize performance. I have written about the ZHS
ä See BRADY, page 4G