Louisiana teacher arrested at board meeting after questioning superintendent's raise

A teacher in Louisiana who attended a school board meeting to question her superintendent's hefty raise was handcuffed and arrested on Monday in an incident recorded by a fellow attendee.
The Vermilion Parish School Board was voting Monday night on Superintendent Jermone Puyau's new contract, which included a $30,000 raise. Deyshia Hargrave, a middle school language arts teacher, stood up and said she had a "serious issue" with Puyau "or any person in a position of leadership getting any type of raise. I feel like it's a slap in the face for the teachers, the cafeteria workers, or any other support staff we have." She was interrupted by a board member who said her comment wasn't part of the night's agenda.
Hargrave continued to ask questions, until she was told by a city marshal to leave. Yelling could then be heard on the tape, and Hargrave was handcuffed and told to "stop resisting," NBC News reports. Hargrave was arrested outside for refusing to leave the meeting and resisting arrest, and later released on bond. "She got away from what I believe was the germane issue," said board president Anthony Fontana, who voted for the pay raise. He told NBC News that Hargrave violated meeting policies by asking questions during the public comment section, and he fully supported the marshal. His fellow board member, Laura LeBeouf, disagreed, saying she was "very appalled" by Hargrave's arrest. The Louisiana Association of Educators said its attorney is working with Hargrave on her next steps. Catherine Garcia
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
How to create a healthy 'germier' home
Under The Radar Exposure to a broad range of microbes can enhance our immune system, especially during childhood
-
George Floyd: Did Black Lives Matter fail?
Feature The momentum for change fades as the Black Lives Matter Plaza is scrubbed clean
-
National debt: Why Congress no longer cares
Feature Rising interest rates, tariffs and Trump's 'big, beautiful' bill could sent the national debt soaring
-
'King of the Hill' actor shot dead outside home
speed read Jonathan Joss was fatally shot by a neighbor who was 'yelling violent homophobic slurs,' says his husband
-
DOJ, Boulder police outline attacker's confession
speed read Mohamed Sabry Soliman planned the attack for a year and 'wanted them all to die'
-
Assailant burns Jewish pedestrians in Boulder
speed read Eight people from the Jewish group were hospitalized after a man threw Molotov cocktails in a 'targeted act of violence'
-
Driver rams van into crowd at Liverpool FC parade
speed read 27 people were hospitalized following the attack
-
2 Israel Embassy staff shot dead at DC Jewish museum
speed read The suspected gunman chanted 'free, free Palestine'
-
Bombing of fertility clinic blamed on 'antinatalist'
speed read A car bombing injured four people and damaged a fertility clinic and nearby buildings in Palm Springs, California
-
Suspect charged after 11 die in Vancouver car attack
Speed Read Kai-Ji Adam Lo drove an SUV into a crowd at the Lapu Lapu Day festival
-
Kenya arrests alleged ant smugglers
speed read Two young Belgians have been charged for attempting to smuggle ants out of the country to exotic pet buyers