LAFAYETTE La. (KLFY) – Last night, the Lafayette Parish School System held a special meeting to vote on multiple policies regarding schools of choice.

Former United States Federal Judge, Richard Haik made a special appearance at the meeting to give the school board and parents the history of schools of choice.

“Education is knowledge and knowledge is power and that’s true,” Haik says.

In 2000, U.S. District Judge Haik ruled that the Lafayette Parish School System was not in compliance with its desegregation plan.

In order to follow the Supreme Court’s decision, the parties to the case, including the School Board, agreed to try Schools of Choice as a way to improve the racial balance in Lafayette schools.

Haik attended the special meeting to share the history behind the decisions to start schools of choice.

“The basis behind it absolutely was to give all the children in the parish at least an opportunity to go to a school that was best fitted for their academic ability,” Haik explains.

Now 17 years after the decision to open schools of choice, LPSS is adapting to the changing times and trying to give every student an equal opportunity.

Many parents address the school board last night about concerns they see in the proposed changes.

“I truly believe that having parents involved, talking to the school board members, asking for the transparency that’s all good. Is it going to be easy? Of course, not, nothing really good comes really easy,” says Haik.

Change is coming to the schools of choice program, but Haik is optimistic.

“It’s going to be okay because the parents are going to make it okay. It’s going to be okay because the school board members I think really have the best interest of those children at heart, all of the children in their hearts I really do believe that,” Haik says.