By Brandy Fleming
Contributing Writer

This week the Washington Parish School Board was presented with an American flag that was brought back from a combat mission in Iraq.
Ivy Fauntleroy, who teaches both special education and visually impaired students at Franklinton Junior High School, was waiting on her son, Jacob Fauntleroy, a petty officer with the JROTC at Franklinton Junior High School, to return home. He had been overseas for a while during the summer and obtained a flag that was flown over Iraq for a combat mission with ISIS on April 7.
People were given the opportunity to purchase a flag and give it to a Navy fighter pilot, who returned it in along with a certificate that can be dedicated to schools. Upon Jacob’s return home in June 2015, he brought the certificate and flag back and was given to the Franklinton High School Principal Lisa Tanner.
When asked if she had any comments she would like to express, Tanner said, “I’m kind of speechless, this is awesome.”
The certificate and flag will be placed in a shadow box, which will be engraved with Jacob’s name and displayed at Franklinton High School.
In other business, the new student accident insurance plans for the 2015-16 school year are now providing higher coverage for student athletes, such as football players, band members, dance squad members and cheerleaders. Insurance consultant Carmel Breaux discussed the premiums and statistics of the different insurance companies at Monday night’s committee-of- the-whole meeting. She explained that the premium for all student plans increased, but coverage for just athletes is actually cheaper.
The plan provides coverage for all sports while students are in physical education classes, extra-curricular activities or on one-day field trips. When the School Board reconvened for its regular meeting Thursday, the Personnel Committee recommended renewing coverage with the same insurance company, Security Life.
The premium with Security Life is $49,500, with a blanket coverage of $14,000 for all students, athletes or not.
Beth Keaton, director of finance at Washington Parish School System, said “I would really like to see us stay with this blanket coverage. It’s really quite a bargain.”