Parents, students complain East Baton Rouge schools field trip was more like church service

'Day of Hope' college and career fair at local church drew 2,100 students

BY CHARLES LUSSIER | Staff writer
Updated Sep 22, 2022 at 2:14 pm

More than 2,100 students from Baton Rouge high schools were excused from classes Tuesday morning and hopped on school buses to attend what was billed as a “College & Career Fair.”

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“The majority of students chose to attend this field trip on the promise of free food and the opportunity to skip class, however the majority of students were not only disappointed by this event, but traumatized as well," Alexis Budyach, a senior at Baton Rouge Magnet High, wrote in a Facebook post.

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Brittney Byrant, a biology teacher at Woodlawn High and the mother of a senior at the school, was one of those who took to Facebook to register her concerns. She’d learned the day before that she was serving as a chaperone for the event, accompanying her child. Bryant particularly objected to the organizer’s decision to separate the audience by gender and have the girls listen to a series of emotional talks from three female speakers. “They talked about rape (and) forgiving the offender, suicide, prayer leadership, and many more dark controversial topics. We had females in the bathrooms crying due to the topics of discussion,” Bryant wrote.

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“Other students poured water on top of transgender students' heads without any repercussions by any of the adults present,” Bryant wrote.

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