NOLA-PS provides update on COVID-19 impact in schools: Jan. 24-28

(New Orleans – January 31, 2022) - NOLA Public Schools (NOLA-PS) is pleased to announce 20,773 COVID-19 tests were administered last week, yielding a positive test rate of 2.8% among its students and staff. That's down more than two percent from last week's testing data, showing our schools' COVID safety measures are working and continuing to do their part in preserving in-person learning in the wake of the Omicron variant.

To keep this trend moving in the right direction, NOLA-PS Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. is reminding the community tomorrow, Feb. 1, is the deadline for all students 5 and up to be fully vaccinated. Vaccinations remain the best tool to keep COVID-19 from disrupting our students' education.

"The COVID-19 vaccine is the best tool we have to keep students and staff safe, our schools open, and children learning in classrooms where they belong," Dr. Lewis said. "We are urging all families to contact their schools about getting vaccinated or requesting a waiver for their child. This is no different than the annual approach to immunizations for other illnesses. It is time we all come together to vaccinate as many children as possible to keep COVID-19 at bay."

Working with its medical advisors, NOLA-PS continues to assess its safety guidelines based on the information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH). These updates can be viewed here.

For information on vaccination opportunities, please contact your school or visit www.nolapublicschools.com/vaccinations or www.ready.nola.gov for details on testing and vaccination sites.

This week's COVID Tracker provides an update for the week of Jan. 24-28.

The District is currently tracking 384 total cases of COVID-19 (53 staff; 331 students) among 47 schools in our school community, resulting in 1,471 individuals in quarantine. From January 24-28, NOLA-PS completed 20,773 COVID-19 tests with a positive test rate of 2.8 percent.

As we've been doing since the start of the pandemic, NOLA-PS will continue to monitor the data that measure the impact of COVID-19. Our goal is to continue to preserve in-person learning.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, the LDH, and the New Orleans Health Department have analyzed the data, and all agree the best place for children to be is in the classroom. The benefits include developing social and emotional skills, access to healthy meals and activities, and access to mental health support that cannot be offered through virtual learning.

With that in mind, NOLA-PS will continue to publicly share each week the number of confirmed cases and precautionary quarantines that our schools self-report. We will also continue to remain in close contact with the LDH and our health advisers as we navigate the 2021-2022 school year.

NOLA-PS' COVID-19 Case Tracker provides cumulative data of self-reported cases in our public schools since this reporting began on Sept. 21, 2020. Last school year's data is archived and available for viewing on our website.

The NOLA-PS COVID-19 Case Tracker reports the number of active and cumulative positive cases of COVID-19 by school site, the number of quarantined individuals and the number of positive cases of COVID-19 reported over time for the district and by school site.

The case numbers above reflect data the District has received from schools. In some cases, there may be a lag time in reporting due to the timeframe in which families notify their schools regarding test results among students.

All schools are required to report positive cases to the LDH and the District. The District is continuing to stay on top of updates, collaborate with state and local agencies, and work closely with our school leaders, task force, and community stakeholders to ensure a safe 2021-2022 school year.

To learn more about our quarantine and isolation process for the 2021-2022 school year, please refer to NOLA-PS' COVID Guidance for the details.

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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 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.