(New Orleans – September 21, 2020) — All 26 high schools in the NOLA Public Schools (NOLA-PS) district will partner with various local organizations to encourage students to register and vote.

With the 2020 Elections around the corner, schools within the District are committed to teaching civic responsibility to students with the goal of producing responsible citizens and active participants in community and government. It’s part of NOLA Public Schools’ vision to ensure all students are prepared for civic success.

“We want to teach our students that their voices matter. That they can be heard loud and clear when they vote,” said NOLA-PS Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. “District-wide, it’s imperative we educate students on the importance of voting and the process. We must create excitement, enthusiasm, and empower our youth to become fully engaged in the electoral process, in order for them to ‘be the change we want to see in the world.’ ”

To that end, local partners will be co-hosting virtual registration week events with national guests and locally hosting virtual candidate forums for students. Local partners include:
Engaging New Voices & Voters • Delta Sigma Theta • L9 - Lower 9th Ward Voter’s Coalition • Urban League of New Orleans, Young Professionals • Links Pontchartrain • Links Crescent City • Links New Orleans • NAACP Youth Council

Many of these organizations work in partnership with the national organization When We All Vote on its initiative, "National Voter Registration Week of Action", which takes place Saturday, September 19 - 27, 2020. The week kicked-off this past Saturday when the Urban League of New Orleans, Young Professionals hosted an HBCU Virtual Registration Pep Rally in collaboration with Southern University of New Orleans.
When We All Vote is a non-profit, nonpartisan organization that is on a mission to increase participation in every election and close the race and age voting gap by changing the culture around voting, harnessing grassroots energy, and through strategic partnerships to reach every American.
NOLA-PS high schools have been participating in voter registration drives since 2018, when the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) passed a resolution to have a voter registration week in every high school. The District collaborated with the Lower 9th Ward Voter’s Coalition and the City of New Orleans Office of Youth and Families to hold voter registration drives in the high schools.

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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 78 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 @NOLAPublicSchools, @nolaps, and @NOLAPSchools.