Avoyelles school supt., principal injured in Bunkie student fight

The Avoyelles Superintendent of Schools as well as a principal were injured during a student fight recently.
Superintendent Dwayne Lemoine was at home recovering from surgery on October 25, surgery required by injuries he received when trying to break up a fight between students at Bunkie New Tech High School on October 22. It is believed to be the first time in Avoyelles Parish history that a school superintendent was injured by a student.
All the school system released about the incident was that Lemoine was visiting the school and was injured when he tried to break up a fight between students. Lemoine said he suffered an injury to a muscle in the shoulder region that required him to have day-surgery and several days of rest.
Bunkie Police were called to the school after one of the students was still “ungovernable” after the fight. The student was arrested after continuing to be unruly to a police officer. The juvenile student was booked and released to the parents.
The school did say disciplinary action will be taken against the two students involved in the fight. However, Bunkie New Tech High Principal Amy Cole said because both of the students are juveniles she could not say what action is being taken.
 On the day of the incident, two students started fighting next to Lemoine and another teacher during a class change. Lemoine and the teacher tried to break up the fight when Lemoine was hurt. When Principal Cole arrived she was pushed down by one of the students. Cole was only slightly injured, suffering a bruise to her back.
Over the years several teachers have been injured breaking up fights at the schools in the parish.
  “This isolated incident does  show the need for School Resource Officers (SRO) in schools to help the teachers,” Lemoine explained. “Bunkie High has had a great year since school opened and has had very little discipline problems so far. This incident is not reflective of the good discipline at the school.”
 In the secondary schools, an estimated 80% of the teachers are females.
The issue only became public at a recent school board meeting when school board member Mike Lacombe expressed support for school resource officers at the October 22 meeting of the executive committee. “Having officers would help cut down on fights at the schools,” Lacombe explained. “It would also help cut down on worker’s compensation claims because of teachers getting hurt trying to break up fights. We don’t even have the school superintendent here tonight because he was hurt breaking up a fight.”
Lemoine added the school system has an intervention program in place after a student has been in a fight. It involves the student, parents and the school system.
School Resource Officers (SRO) could be in four Avoyelles Parish schools as early as next fall. The Avoyelles Parish School Board has started to study the idea but has not taken any formal action on the issue.