For the record, I’ve never been to Louisiana. The first time I ever tried etouffee was at a Creole restaurant in Pennsylvania, and it was chicken. I much prefer crawfish myself, but considering that papergirl was looking to feed a bunch of Indiana schoolkids, I figured it would be the safest option, with respect to budget, freshness, and kid-familiarity, even if it’s not 100% authentic.
How old are these kids? I lived in New Orleans when I was very young (2-7) and I HATED red beans and rice Mondays at school. Didn’t like anything spicy or fishy as a kid. I’m predicting the teacher will be eating well for several nights after this project.
You can make quick and easy gumbo using roux from a jar.
Tip: If you use roux from a jar, do what us real Cajuns do and use 2/3 of the jar and NOT what the directions tell you to. (which is way less)
And yes, plenty of real Cajun’s use roux from a jar, they just wont admit to it. 
He’s a freshman in high school. This may be a very clever teacher we have here…let’s see what the next “project” entails! 