Education

With power now restored to much of New Orleans, the city’s public school system said individual schools will begin welcoming students back to the classroom as early as Wednesday, Sept. 15.

Public school buildings in New Orleans suffered little to no damage from Hurricane Ida and should be able to reopen as soon as power is restored, according to officials. But a surge in post-storm COVID cases is still a major concern and could prevent a large number of teachers and students from immediately returning to the classroom.

Widespread power outages have halted schools in the New Orleans area. While some parents are hopeful for a remote learning option to make up for lost school days, several school leaders have said that is not likely.

COVID cases have been reported at all but a handful of Louisiana school districts

The New Orleans schools said the temporary switch to online learning was due to staffing issues.

New Orleans parents are calling on NOLA-PS to provide a virtual learning option as COVID continues to spread.

LSU football fans, students and staff must provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test to attend games and campus.

New Orleans Public Schools continues to see an increase in COVID cases and quarantines among students and staff, though officials said there is still no evidence of classroom transmission.

LSU and other Louisiana colleges have started taking steps to implement a COVID vaccine mandate.

College students from Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi share their thoughts as a new school year in the pandemic begins.