The Gueydan community packed the Vermilion Parish School Board at Thursdays meeting to protest the possibility of closing down Gueydan high school to make up for health insurance costs.

The board is losing an average of $200,000 a month because of high health insurance claims.

Last week the board considered raising premiums but it was voted down.

The board now has to find a way to avoid draining the general fund.

Those options include a pay cut across the school system, classroom reductions and closing down Gueydan High School.

Although the board opposes closing any school.

“I am addressing those board members that think every time that there is a financial issue in our parish they feel the need to threaten school closure of Gueydan high.” says Ashley Broussard, a Junior at Gueydan High.

She adds, “As someone growing up in Gueydan everyone in the town we look forward to that moment because that is our alma mater that that is our school that is our town that is our everything.”

Madeleine Broussard-Ockwell a Gueydan High alumna who also taught there says when the school heard about the closure, the response was “Tears, upset, there were students crying in the classrooms. Just tried to console them and be there for them, and fight for them like we did before.”

Board member Luddy Herpin says “We close the school we close the community and that’s just not feasible we need to understand where these people are coming from. To transport kids across this parish from Gueydan to Kaplan the nearest school would be about a two hour drive.”

The board voted to move the deadline to find agree to a new health insurance plan from Jan. 1 to April 30.