A dozen people protested outside the Iberia Parish School Board office requesting a teacher at Delcambre Elementary be fired. 

A dozen parents and grandparents picketed outside of the Iberia Parish School Board office on Jane Street Wednesday to protest a Delcambre Elementary School teacher who they said made derogatory remarks to students.

The protesters asked that Mandy LeBlanc, a fourth-grade teacher at Delcambre Elementary, be fired for her alleged remarks concerning President Barack Obama’s re-election.

Lindsay Shello said her 9-year-old son told her that LeBlanc told students she was dressed in black because she was attending a funeral for the death of America the day following Obama’s re-election.

Shello said her son also told her LeBlanc said because Obama was re-elected, America was going to “be the new China.”

“It was disturbing as a parent to hear the kind of stuff my son would come home and tell me that his teacher told him,” Shello said. “He would say, ‘Mom, I don’t want to die. What’s wrong with us? What’s going to happen?’ ’’

Shello said her son said he heard the teacher tell students that because of Michelle Obama’s push for the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act the students would “look like tooth picks.”

She said other parents have said their children heard the same remarks from LeBlanc.

“Each child is different, so you don’t know how a child is going to take something like that,” she said.

Shello’s mother, Liz Walton, said she thinks the remarks can be construed as both racist and political. Walton said she does not think LeBlanc’s political views should have been expressed. 

“They weren’t supposed to be speaking of that,” Walton said. “She took it upon herself and she said it. You can’t erase what she said, so let’s deal with it.” 

Shello said since the incident, she contacted Iberia Parish Superintendent of Schools Dale Henderson, who said she should take her issue to the school and teacher.

She said she met with LeBlanc, Delcambre Elementary principal Danelle Renard, Assistant Superintendent of Administration Michael Judice and Roger Hamilton with Child Welfare and Attendance.

She said in the meeting Renard said anything dealing with the issue was going to be sent to the School Board.

“It’s been an ongoing circle between the two,” she said.

Shello said she contacted the Louisiana Department of Education, which suggested she take the issue before the School Board. Shello said she sent a request to Henderson that was denied.

Khadijah Rashad, a community activist, said the group has taken all of the appropriate steps of action, but it has seen no progress.

“When the School Board does that, the only other avenue you have is bringing your cause to the community because the community continuously will speak their voice,” said Rashad.  

Henderson said this is a personnel matter for the School Board.

“This is a personnel issue that we’ve dealt with. This is a situation where our senior staff has met on multiple occasions with those that are concerned about the issue,” he said.  

The group carried a sign that read “Delcambre schools population 1,017. African American teachers 1.”

Shello said the sign was not directly related to the incident, but she said she thinks there should be more diversity among the school’s staff. 

Chassatey Jackson said she switched her 9-year-old son to a different classroom after he said he heard LeBlanc’s comment about dressing in black.

Shello said LeBlanc still teaches her son because she did not request to switch him to another class.

“I did not want to move him to a different classroom because my son did nothing wrong,” she said. “He came home as a child and told his parent what he felt was wrong and what the teacher did.”

LeBlanc did not return calls for comment.