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Louisiana K-12 Schools Will Likely Be Closed Through The End Of The School Year

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Louisiana public schools will likely remain closed for the rest of the school year, Gov. John Bel Edwards said in a press conference Thursday afternoon.

But he did not give a timeline for when that decision would be made.

Right now, public schools are closed through the end of April. Schools and school districts set their own schedules, but for most, returning in May means students would be back in school for just a few weeks until the end of the school year.

In recent days, state education officials including the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) and the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents have called on Edwards to cancel school for the rest of the year.

At Thursday’s press conference, Edwards said he has received those letters, and wanted to verify with education officials what they were asking for before deciding to end the school year.

“There’s a really good chance that I’m going to quickly do what they’re asking me to do,” Edwards said. “I’m not trying to keep people in suspense. I suspect that that order is forthcoming very quickly.”

He did not give a timeline for when that decision would be made.

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As Coastal Reporter, Travis Lux covers flood protection, coastal restoration, infrastructure, the energy and seafood industries, and the environment. In this role he's reported on everything from pipeline protests in the Atchafalaya swamp, to how shrimpers cope with low prices. He had a big hand in producing the series, New Orleans: Ready Or Not?, which examined how prepared New Orleans is for a future with more extreme weather. In 2017, Travis co-produced two episodes of TriPod: New Orleans at 300 examining New Orleans' historic efforts at flood protection. One episode, NOLA vs Nature: The Other Biggest Flood in New Orleans History, was recognized with awards from the Public Radio News Directors and the New Orleans Press Club. His stories often find a wider audience on national programs, too, like NPR's Morning Edition, WBUR's Here and Now, and WHYY's The Pulse.

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