Lycée Français De La Nouvelle-Orléans (Lycée) fires a beloved high school civics teacher in apparent retaliation.
Jinger Widdon had informed students they could attend public meetings of the school’s board of directors. Students had been frustrated by the school’s proposal to cut bus service for cost savings.
Dozens of them organized a walkout in response to Widdon’s termination.
Educators at Lycée Français De La Nouvelle-Orléans announce they have organized a union and seek formal recognition from the school’s governing board.
The announcement followed months of organizing as employees reeled from reduced benefits and frozen wages.
Without voluntary recognition, Lycée educators overcame months of union-busting from school leadership to win their union by election and affiliate with the United Teachers of New Orleans (UTNO).
Act 172 is signed into law 10 days after Lycée employees won their union election, muddying the waters over whether charter schools in Louisiana count as private employers (subject to National Labor Relations Board jurisdiction) or public sector organizations.
UTNO files a series of complaints against Lycée with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for violating federal labor law, both before and after the union election.
The complaints document the termination and denial of contract renewals for pro-union teachers. The school’s union-busting efforts are added to the list of complaints that parents lodge at the governing board meeting.
The Department of Labor determines that Lycée violated two separate laws by failing to pay wages as required and by failing to provide notice of the filing of labor conditions applications.
The Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE) makes a site visit to Lycée’s New Orleans campus. The AEFE is responsible for monitoring French-language schools worldwide and is part of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The AEFE places Lycée on probation for the first time, stating the school “lacked educational rigor, a French library, professional development for teachers, pathways for student engagement and parents and teacher involvement in governance.”
AEFE places Lycée on probation for the second time, saying the school had failed to take necessary corrective action. The French agency gives Lycée until February 2026 to submit “compliance documents.”
Per a later statement by Lycée’s chief operating officer, the school lays off 11 employees, including teaching assistants and paraprofessionals, to reduce costs.
The NLRB denies UTNO’s appeal, allowing Lycée to avoid recognizing its educators’ union.
A French court denies Lycée’s attempt to suspend the AEFE decision – twice – after the school failed to provide documents by the set deadline.
The school, now called Lycée Français International de la Louisiane, announces an $835,000 budget deficit because of enrollment declines. Between the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school year, Lycée lost 17.5% of its student body – more than any other Orleans Parish school.
Parents of children at the school cite retaliation by the administration against unionized teachers and parents who have spoken out. Some parents receive cease and desist letters from the school’s attorneys.
The Department of Labor determines Lycée violated the law by failing to make available for public examination the Labor Conditions Applications related to H1B workers who work at Lycée.
Lycée becomes the only currently operating Orleans Parish Charter School placed on the Louisiana Legislative Auditors Notice of Non-compliance list.
The most recent audit includes findings of material weaknesses and significant deficiencies in internal control over financial reporting and notes non-compliance material to financial statements.
Lycée sues the arm of the French government responsible for monitoring French-language schools around the world for the sixth time. The school claims that “unreasonable demands” from the agency have led to enrollment decline and related funding loss.
UTNO files a writ of mandamus, seeking public records from Lycée initially requested five months earlier. The records relate to school spending and finances, and the original request predated the troubling June audit findings.