Is the St. Aug dust up over? A Merry Christmas for the St Aug family!

St. Aug board says it is reinstated, other issues with Josephites resolved

Published: Friday, December 23, 2011, 3:50 PM    

By Bruce Nolan, The Times-Picayune The Times-Picayune The Josephites, owners of St. Augustine High School, have reinstated the local board of directors as part of a legal settlement ending a months-long dispute over governance at the school, a board spokesman said Friday. In addition, newly adopted bylaws "accomplish the board's objective of self-governance while maintaining the school's Catholic identity and relationship with the Josephites," said a statement by Ken Jones, a spokesman for the board.

View full sizeTed Jackson, Times-Picayune archiveA suit of armor stands guard in the entrance of St. Augustine High School next to a flag emblazoned with the Josephites seal.

The board and the Josephites went to court during the summer over issues of control at the 60-year-old school.
Board members, backed by many parents and alumni, objected to the Josephites' decision to end corporal punishment at the school. They were further dismayed when the order removed its president, the Rev. John Raphael, an outspoken advocate for local control at St. Aug.
In June, the local board unilaterally rewrote some of St. Aug's bylaws and expanded the board of trustees, a higher-ranking body. The Josephites responded with a lawsuit challenging the legitimacy of the act. They also removed those board members who had engaged in a "coup".
U.S. District Judge Jay Zainey asked Xavier University President Norman Francis to mediate the dispute, the results of which were announced Friday.
Further details were not immediately available.