Questioning of Superintendent’s Raise Leads to Arrest of Louisiana Teacher

The arrest of a Louisiana teacher who spoke out against her superintendent’s raise at a school board meeting has ignited online outrage, including death threats against the superintendent, his staff, and his family

The local prosecutor said he won’t pursue charges against Deshia Hargrave, who questioned the salary increase of $30,000 for Jerome Payau at a time when teachers in the Vermilion Parish district hadn’t received a raise in 10 years.

Video of last week’s meeting shows that Hargrave addressed the superintendent directly after raising her hand to speak and being recognized. After a verbal exchange, school board members beckoned to a police officer, who confronted Hargrave, ordering her to get her things and go.

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Moments later—after briefly leaving the view of any cameras—she was on the hallway floor with her hands behind her back, being handcuffed and complaining that the officer was hurting her.