Education

As New Orleans Public Schools reopen following Hurricane Ida, the city’s charter operators are recommending, and in some cases requiring, that students test negative for COVID-19 in an effort to prevent a surge in post-storm cases from further disrupting the school year.

Only a handful of New Orleans Public Schools reopened Wednesday after Hurricane Ida caused greater damage to the city’s campuses than was originally assessed. More than 30% of buildings are considered unfit for students and are undergoing repairs.

Frederick A. Douglass High School is the only New Orleans public school set to resume classes virtually, rather than in-person, after Hurricane Ida caused significant damage to its Ninth Ward campus.

More than 45,000 students in the state’s hard-hit River Parishes could face a month or more of school closures due to ongoing power outages, lack of running water and significant structural damage.

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.