Orleans Parish elementary, middle school students to return to in-person learning
Orleans Parish elementary, middle school students to return to in-person learning By Nicole Mumphrey | January 27, 2021 at 12:15 PM CST - Updated February 1 at 6:14 AM
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - New Orleans Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis announced that Pre-K through 8th-grade students will return to in-person learning effective Monday, Feb. 1.
High school students won’t return until after Mardi Gras break, but some smaller groups of 15 or less who work better in person can start next week.
“I am pleased to see our metrics continue to trend in the right direction,” NOLA-PS Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. said. “I want to thank our parents, teachers, staff and students for their perseverance in these challenging times. I would also like to thank New Orleans residents and businesses because without your willingness to mask up, stay socially distanced, and limit intera
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The news came an hour after city officials announced restriction rollbacks, allowing many businesses to increase indoor capacity.
Under the district’s guidelines, public schools can resume in-person instruction for PreK through eighth-grade students as early as Monday. High schools are instructed to remain largely online through Mardi Gras, but are encouraged to begin serving high-risk students in-person as early as next week.
“We know that in-person learning is the best educational experience for students because it develops the whole child academically, socially and emotionally,” Superintendent Henderson Lewis Jr. said Wednesday. “While I know this decision . presents operational and staffing challenges for some schools, I strongly encourage each of our schools to prioritize in-person learning for students.”
Aubri Juhasz / WWNO
New Orleans public schools reported a drop in active COVID-19 cases for the second week in a row, according to new data released Monday afternoon.
The district reported 24 new cases of COVID-19 this week, compared to 34 cases the week before. That brings the district’s active case total to 41 representing 15 students and 26 staff compared to 62 the week before.
City-wide cases also declined during this time, but still remain dangerously high. On Monday, the city reported 185 new cases of COVID-19, bringing its seven-day average to 131.
At a press conference late last week, school officials said the city’s high daily case counts would prevent them from returning students to the classroom for at least another week. If cases remain high and the city’s positivity rate stays the same, virtual learning is likely to be extended. The district is expected to revisit its decision before Jan. 28.
Host Karl Lengel speaks with education reporter Aubri Juhasz.
District officials instructed schools to pivot most students to online-only instruction in early January after the city’s test positivity hit 9 percent. Since then both test positivity and daily new cases have trended downward.
On Thursday, Superintendent Henderson Lewis Jr. said the district is getting closer to bringing students back to the classroom, but needs to watch the data a while longer.
“We are seeing promising data, but in-person learning citywide at this time cannot resume,” Lewis said at a press conference.
They plan to watch city health metrics for another week and revisit their decision by Jan. 28. At that time, Lewis said he hopes he can provide some “good news.”
Aubri Juhasz / WWNO
Originally published on January 22, 2021 12:25 pm
After transitioning most students to online-only instruction two weeks ago, New Orleans public school officials are expected to revisit their decision Thursday.
“Our recent shift here in our school system, it s not a step backwards, but rather, I have to remind everyone it was a necessary decision to help keep our students and our staff safe, to beat this pandemic, and to finally return to the classroom, not part-time, but full-time and permanently,” Superintendent Henderson Lewis Jr. said at a school board meeting last week.
Since schools reopened in the fall, the district has relied on several city-wide metrics when making operational decisions.