NEW ORLEANS – The following is a statement issued by Algiers Charter in reference to our high school’s forfeit win against Belle Chasse High School:

On November 8, 2019, the Landry-Walker High School football team played against Belle Chasse High School in Belle Chasse, Louisiana.

Following the game, we were notified by the Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA) that our football team had played six athletes who had not been properly registered on the LHSAA website. Because of the students not being registered, they were deemed ineligible, which resulted in our school forfeiting the win and game. The sportsmanship incident that occurred following the game is still under investigation by the LHSAA and the local law enforcement agency.

Landry-Walker High School being removed from the 2019 LHSAA football playoff bracket, as a result will not be eligible for the championship play or honors. We are very much disappointed in the lack of oversight by our association on the status of our student-athletes as we understand how this affects other varsity high school sports, our current eligible student-athletes, and our Algiers Charter families and community. We are taking this matter seriously as this oversight does not represent the Algiers Charter athletic program, nor does it represent what LHSAA stands for as an organization.

Based on these findings, our association will be implementing a new system in place to review all athlete folders and eligibility criteria to prevent ineligible players from participating in any varsity games and practices at Landry-Walker High School. All student-athlete folders will be reviewed by our athletic director, head coach, high school principal and by a member of the association’s leadership team at the Algiers Charter Central Office. We are requiring all of our coaches of every sport to re-certify and retake the sportsmanship class offered by the LHSAA. We are also in the process of evaluating and reassigning our coaching staff. We feel that it is the responsibility of the school, coach and administrators to make sure that students meet the eligibility criteria. As a result, the coaching staff involved will be placed on probation by the association and suspended for the first part of the 2020 football season.

As a charter association who believes in its students and community, we want our students to become lifelong learners and aim to do that through integrating different aspects of education and culture, which includes understanding true sportsmanship.

The mission of the Algiers Charter School Association is to deliver and support education excellence in New Orleans, and that includes representing excellence in all that we do as an organization. We will stand by that mission and will make sure it’s represented in all aspects, including within our athletic program.