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HOUMA, La. (AP) — Terrebonne Parish school officials hope to commemorate one of the parish's remaining remnants of racial segregation with help through a state program.
The Terrebonne Parish School Board voted unanimously earlier this month for the administration to research criteria to apply for the state's Historical Marker Program.
The Courier reports (http://bit.ly/1xBKat9 ) that several parish schools are near or over 100 years old, but the school behind the request is Southdown Elementary in Houma.
"A constituent asked me to look into it because we have a lot of schools, especially Southdown, that have historical significance," School Board member Greg Harding said. "Southdown was the only African-American high school in the parish."
Superintendent Philip Martin said few such schools still remain in the state. Other schools will also fall under consideration, he said.
Martin said he will begin the application process for the Louisiana Historical Marker program soon with the goal of applying in 2015.
The program commemorates "facts, persons, events and places prominently identified with the history of the nation, state or region."
To be eligible, the event or person must have attained significance at least 50 years ago, though exceptions may be made in cases of "extraordinary historical significance."
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Information from: The Courier, http://www.houmatoday.com
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