(NEW ORLEANS - Aug. 31, 2021) -- Today, in partnership with our school community, NOLA Public Schools continues to assess the condition of school buildings, checking for any damage and their capacity to reopen, checking for any damage and their capacity to reopen once essential services are restored.
Our schools and teams have assessed about a third of our buildings today, and we are encouraged to find only minimal damage so far. These efforts will continue until all buildings are assessed.
NOLA-PS continues to gather information on the City's power grid and its impact on our schools. This information will directly inform our response and timeline for reopening to in-person learning.
As this work continues, schools will remain closed at least until Sept. 7. We will plan to provide a more detailed update on the status of school operations moving forward on Sept. 7, and we will continue to keep our school community and the public updated on our progress.
"As we all assess the impacts of the storm, at home and across our city, our goal is to reopen our schools as soon as it is safe to do so," Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. said. "The situation remains very fluid, and it will take time to develop a practical plan. I understand how challenging this time is for our families, our teachers, and our school leaders. But we will come together, as we always do. We are strong and resilient, and we will get through this, together."
"As the leader of one of the largest school district in Louisiana impacted by Hurricane Ida and current NOLA-PS parent, I am worried about our education system." School Board President Ethan Ashley said. "I am worried for our students, educators and families, because prior to the impacts of Hurricane Ida, we had already been rocked by the impacts of COVID-19. I know that without power, we will not be able to adequately educate students virtually or otherwise. I also know that our students don't have weeks for us to figure this problem out; and that is why our District will be calling on our partners at the city, state and federal levels to provide us with the resources needed to ensure that we can get students back in schools again safely as soon as possible."
Addendum:
As work continues, schools will remain closed until there is significant improvements in power throughout the city. We will plan to provide more detailed update on the status of school operations moving forward by Sept. 7, and we will continue to keep our school community and the public updated on our progress.
###
About NOLA Public Schools: NOLA Public Schools is the public school district for Orleans Parish. It includes the district's administration and elected school board, known as the Orleans Parish School Board. NOLA Public Schools currently oversees 76 public schools and is led by Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr.
For more information, visit www.nolapublicschools.com. For updates, follow NOLA Public Schools on Facebook @NOLAPublicSchools, Instagram @nolaps and Twitter @NOLAPSchools.