Fontenot out at Sacred Heart High School

The tumultuous tenure of Diane Fontenot has come to an end.
In a letter by the Diocese of Lafayette and a report by the Blue Ribbon Committee released on Monday, the controversial principal of Sacred Heart High School officially resigned her post. The past few months had seen Fontenot and the Catholic school located in Ville Platte come under scrutiny from protestors, as a large amount of individuals from the community, who have deep ties to the school, found themselves worried for the future of the institution.
Under Fontenot’s leadership there has been a significant drop in the enrollment as the school has lost 186 students in the past six years, as well as the loss of more than 80 teachers over the course of the past five years. The tipping point for concerned citizens occurred after Fontenot fired long-time employee and athletic director Robert Soileau which infuriated not only parents and alumni but also the student body.
Monday’s announcement that Fontenot had stepped down was welcomed by many in the community.
Legendary SHHS football coach Bobby Soileau, an alumni of Sacred Heart and father of former athletic director Robert Soileau, expressed his feeling over the recommendations by stating, “This is the best thing that has happened to Sacred Heart since we won the state championship.”
“Robert Soileau needs to be reinstated as the Athletic Director as soon as possible,” SHHS alumni and protestor David Vidrine said. “We have a lot to do and we need to get on it now. We cannot wait.”
In the first week of May, more than 100 people picketed for days along East Main Street demanding the removal of Fontenot. In the days following the mass protests, concerned alumni David Vidrine and Charles Buller met with Bishop Michael Jarrell expressing their concerns about some of the principal’s actions. The Diocese of Lafayette then released a letter informing the interested parties of what steps would be taken in reaching a resolution in the current dispute concerning the school’s administration.
The decision was made by the Diocese to create a Blue Ribbon Committee that would consist of five individuals that have no ties to the school. The committee consisted of Lafayette attorney Joseph Giglio, Lafayette Parish Sheriff Mike Neustrom, Rev. Hampton Davis of Our Lady of Queen of Peach in Lafayette, Gene Lognion and Camille Domingue.
After assembling the committee Bishop Jarrell asked all members to hear comments from both sides to allow for a fair assessment of the situation. The committee met with concerned citizens during a meeting at the school’s gym on Sunday, May 31, which more than hundred residents attended.
With a deadline of June 30, the committee went straight to work holding interviews and accepting emails from all parties involved to make recommendations that would allow Sacred Heart High School “the maximum freedom and flexibility to move forward.”
In the Blue Ribbon Committee’s final report, we learned that the committee believed “due to a confluence of factors, the relationship between the Administrator and other stakeholders is currently irreparable.”
The group goes on to write, “The committee says that the irreparable relationships “impairs the Administrator’s effectiveness and limits available avenues for meaningful reconciliation.” Due to these limitations, the committee recommends that current Administrator, Paula Diane Fontenot, is immediately removed from the position “either through retirement, resignation, or termination.”
Bishop of Lafayette Michael Jarrell wrote the following on Monday, “Mrs. Diane Fontenot had submitted her resignation, effective immediately. Everyone acknowledges the significant contributions she has made to Sacred Heart School in her years as Administrator. Her good work will remain with the school for years to come.”
Protestor spokesperson and SHHS parent Jeffery Sylvester was pleased with committee’s conclusion.
“We are very pleased that the Bishop and the Blue Ribbon Committee did a fabulous job on listening to all the complaints and making the best decision possible for Sacred Heart,” Sylvester said.
That sentiment was echoed by Vidrine, “The committee did an outstanding job and without a doubt the decision went with the majority of how everyone felt. It was time.”
Even though the committee recommended Fontenot’s removal as principal, they did not in fact come to the conclusion that she was to blame for the school’s high turnover in staff or decline of student population.
In a notation the committee writes, “Over the last five years, an exceptional number of faculty, coaches, and other staff have left Sacred Heart School, either as a result of retirement, relocation, resignation, or non-renewal of their contracts. While this trend is concerning, and while it was examined by the Committee in the course of its broader inquiry, the Committee recognizes that such decisions are informed by a variety of factors, and that a more detailed review of complex personnel decisions is beyond the scope of this Committee’s charge.”
The committee has also recommended that an Advisory Council be formed “by July 31, 2015 or as soon as practical” and a search committee to take on the task of finding a new Administrator for the school. Ms. Virginia Morein and Ms. Dawn Shipp, who are currently the assistant principals over the elementary and high school campuses, will each assume the interim role of principal.
With Fontenot’s resignation and the search for new leadership beginning, Sylvester believes that the school which has been fractured for so long can finally begin to come together.
“We are looking to move forward and trying to put the pieces back together,” Sylvester said.