In the Right-to-Work-For-Less state of Louisiana, English Language Arts teacher Deyisha Hargrave from Rene Rost Middle School in Kaplan was arrested at the Vermilion Parish school board meeting for questioning the efficacy of a superintendent pay raise in the midst of class size increases of over 40% in some cases.
During the public comments portion of the meeting to discuss teacher salaries and pay raises, Ms. Hargrave was called on by the board president, and when she asked a question of the board, she was called out-or-order for her critical comments and a marshall directed her to exit the building.
Video news reports show that in the hallway, the 5-foot tall teacher was pushed to the ground, handcuffed, and “perp-walked” into the parking lot while an additional squad car came for her transport. In a sea of parents who followed the event outside, the officer claimed he would arrest onlookers for the crime of “Public intimidation of an officer while on duty”.
Ms. Hargrave was released later that evening and no charges were filed against her. See the entire 12-minute video .
I’m a British former teacher and cannot believe what I read! The USA has finally become a corrupt police state where you are arrested for raising your opinion. Unbelievable.
As a retired teacher, and a woman, I applaud your courage in just asking the question. The knee-jerk reaction of having you forcibly removed was so incredibly arrogant, as if there is absolutely no accountability, and obviously no transparency. I live in Georgia, and the “good ole’ boy” system is in force, but not to the extent you experienced. Keep you head up! You did the right, honest, moral thing. It’s amazing what can happen, but your story is out there! There may be change in the wind…