BATON ROUGE - Members of the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board discussed the first steps to returning students to Istrouma High School Thursday night.

At a committee meeting among board members, the group approved regaining control of the facility from the Recovery School Board. The RSD, a state-run operation, took over Istrouma High and announced in 2013 the school would close effective the 2013-2014 school year.

The last time students attended the school was in May 2014.

The move Thursday will have to be approved next at an official board meeting. While all board members are on the committee that met Thursday, their decision must be validated at the next board meeting. BESE will also need to approve plans to re-open the school.

A school district spokesperson said the board would like to have Istrouma open for students next school year. The building will need to have "significant upgrades and repairs" before it can reopen, the spokesperson said.

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