Livingston Parish students will have two additional early-dismissal days during the 2026-27 school year after the School Board amended the academic calendar at its Aug. 20 meeting. The board also announced a groundbreaking ceremony for the Denham Springs High School STEM Center.
The calendar change designates Nov. 12, 2026, and Feb. 25, 2027, as professional learning days with early dismissal.
Superintendent Jody Purvis said the request followed “much discussion at the office as well as with teacher input.”
The board unanimously approved the calendar change.
The board then heard a report from the Budget/Goals Committee meeting held Aug. 18. Kevin Thompson with AmeriLife Benefits addressed the board about topics discussed during the committee meeting, which he was unable to attend, saying he wanted to “set the record straight.”
According to Thompson, AmeriLife Benefits is “the exclusive distributor for the Med Plus product in the state of Louisiana.” Thompson said that detail was not discussed during the committee meeting but would be important as the board considers acquiring a gap insurance plan.
“[The other company representatives at the meeting] made comments that all plans are the same,” Thompson told the board. “They’re not all the same… there’s only one plan with no exclusions, and that’s the Med Plus plan.”
“All of these other plans have been built to compete with the Med Plus product, and I’m saying all of this to you tonight because it’s imperative that if you’re gonna [acquire a gap plan] for the first time, then you gotta get it right. You only have one shot to get it right,” Thompson concluded.
Thompson said he spoke with Purvis about exclusions included in other companies’ plans compared with the Med Plus product’s lack of exclusions.
“If it’s covered by Blue Cross Blue Shield, it’s a paid claim by Med Plus, period,” Thompson told the board.
The board did not select a specific gap plan during the meeting but unanimously voted to authorize the school system to offer one after a plan is chosen from the options under consideration.
The board also unanimously authorized advertising for bids for the sale of a home in the French Settlement district that is to be moved from the property. No minimum bid will be required, and the bid notice is expected to be published after Sept. 3.
Purvis concluded the meeting with his superintendent’s report.
“We are working hard on our residency checks, in conjunction with the Sheriff’s Office as well as the Attendance Employee that we have. We’re working hard on making sure that we’re verifying attendance and we’re doing residency checks if there’s questionable attendance or questionable residency,” Purvis told the board.
Purvis also said five schools will receive $50,000 government safety grants. The recipients are North Corbin Junior High, Doyle High, Live Oak Junior High, Springfield Middle, and French Settlement High.
Finally, Purvis announced that a groundbreaking ceremony for the Denham Springs High School STEM Center would be held at 9 a.m. Monday, Aug. 24. The project will add classrooms and an administration building to the STEM Center.
