The Evangeline Parish School Board held its bi-monthly meeting Wednesday night in the School Board Media Center.

The Board approved a request by Superintendent, Darwan Lazard to enter into an agreement with the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office to provide a School Resource Officer for Evangeline Central for 10 months effective for the 2017-18 school year.  After the Superintendent received the approval, he introduced the new Resource Officer as Tony Vidrine who has been with the Sheriff’s Office for five years, previously with the Federal Bureau of Prisons for twenty-five years, has a Bachelor of Criminal Justice and was a 1981 graduate of Ville Platte High School.  Vidrine, along with personnel from Central and officials from the Sheriff’s Office will be traveling to Alexandria to view how the CAPS program works, which is the program they are patterning Central after.  Lazard stated “This is going to be a better program at Central than we had before.  It is much needed.”

The Superintendent reminds everyone that school staff are due back at work on August 8^th and students’ first day of school will be on August 10^th.  He said there will be a New School Year Launch for ALL school employees on August 8^th at Ville Platte High School.  The mandatory lunch will be at 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 and will run in two different groups.  Buses will be picking employees up in their school area due to parking restraints.  There will be a national spokesman attending.  Sam Glenn “The Attitude Guy” will be speaking and there will be door prizes like computers, cash and more.

The Superintendent announced he and Board Member, Arthur Savoy attended a Driver Orientation at First Student.  He says Principals and drivers were there and were able to communicate about needs for the upcoming school year.

Former Vidrine Elementary Teacher, Cheryl Tezeno was announced as the new Middle School Supervisor.  Lazard stated “Tezeno has been with the school system in Evangeline Parish for almost forty years, has worked with grades 6, 7 and 8 and knows the battles those grades face.”

It was announced that Principal Anita West will now become the Principal at Vidrine Elementary.  West was the former Pine Prairie High School Principal.