School employees and their supporters hold rally to protest the silencing and forceful arrest of teacher Deyshia Hargrave at Vermilion Parish School Board meeting. Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018. Scott Clause/The Advertiser
A political crowdfunding platform will host a seminar in Abbeville on Jan. 30 for people interested in running for a seat on the Vermilion Parish School Board.
The next school board election is in November, when all eight seats will be up for vote. It is not immediately known whether any incumbents plan to run for re-election.
The seminar is being sponsored by Crowdpac, a technology platform that allows candidates to raise money and collect donations toward their campaigns.
It will be at the Sunbelt Lodge Motel, 1903 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Abbeville.
For more than a week, the Vermilion Parish School Board has been embroiled in controversy after Deyshia Hargrave, a middle school English teacher, was forcibly removed from the Jan. 8 board meeting after questioning a $38,000 raise for Vermilion Parish Superintendent Jerome Puyau.
An Abbeville City Marshal’s deputy arrested Hargrave at the meeting. The city prosecutor does not plan to pursue charges. The marshal’s office is investigating the incident.
Hargrave’s arrest spawned widespread criticism of the school board. A rally last week drew hundreds of teachers and other supporters, who said educators and other stakeholders should be more outspoken about issues that are important to them.
In a news release, Crowdpac said it will launch digital and print ads featuring an image of Hargrave’s arrest next to the words "Don’t let this happen again. You can run for School Board and win!"
The seminar is designed “to walk candidates and potential candidates through the basics of planning a campaign for public office and winning,” the release said. The event is free and open to the public, but RSVPs are required.
“We encourage anyone who was outraged by this video to consider running for office themselves,” Crowdpac spokesman Mason Harrison said in the release. “We hope these ads serve as a reminder to citizens that the best way to hold their elected officials accountable is to run for office or help someone who is.”
For more information or to RSVP, visit crowdpac.com/Abbeville.