NOLA-PS Weekly COVID-19 Related Updates

(New Orleans – August 23, 2021) – With all our schools back in session, NOLA Public Schools (NOLA-PS) continues to be committed to the health and safety of our school community.

This week's COVID Tracker numbers reflect the first full week with all of our schools back in the classroom. Therefore, our number of positive cases are higher than they were last week.

"Of the 453 active cases we are currently tracking, 364 were newly reported last week. Based on our proactive protocols, the close contacts of those individuals, 4,657 people, are in quarantine. Our high quarantine numbers reflect our mitigation efforts in action to help keep students and staff safe," said NOLS-PS Medical Advisor Dr. Benjamin F. Springgate.

As part of NOLA-PS's mitigation efforts, 1,600 students were tested last week through the District's mobile testing program, and only 1.3%, of those tested, yielded a positive result.

We are committed to providing more testing and vaccination opportunities for our school community throughout the year. In addition to our schools' current testing and vaccination sites, we are piloting a new testing program with the Louisiana Department of Health this week with plans to expand it in September.

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

"This year, we have more tools available to us to mitigate this pandemic," said Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. "Our school community has more access to testing and vaccination opportunities than ever before. Now we all need to do our part, so we are asking our families to use these tools to protect themselves and their children. Get vaccinated if you're eligible. Get tested regularly. And continue to mask up in school and out in the community at large. Together, we can do this."

The LDH has recommended our schools continue to follow the District's COVID Guidance measures to help protect the health of our students, teachers, and staff.

"Our school leaders are being proactive in helping identify positive cases and immediately taking action to keep sick children and staff at home and quarantining close contacts," said NOLA-PS Chief Operations Officer, Tiffany Delcour. "We have been in constant communication with the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) and our medical advisors regarding these cases, and they have not recommended any school closures at this time."

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.

COVID Tracker Update:

As of Friday, August 20, the District is tracking a total of 453 active cases of COVID-19, 364 cases were newly reported in the last week. Our current active cases represent 399 students and 54 staff among 71 schools in our school community. There are currently 4,657 individuals in quarantine and 3,049 were newly quarantined in the last week. It's important to note that approximately 125 of the 453 active cases had zero close contacts since they had not been present at their respective school.

The District's COVID Case Tracker reports active cases over an approximately two-week period. For the purposes of our dashboard, an active case is defined as a COVID-19 case that is confirmed and within its isolation period.

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.

The data included in our COVID-19 Tracker reflects self-reported cases from our schools and provides the real-time impact of the pandemic in our school community.

Since individuals 12 and older are eligible for the vaccine, our rules for quarantine and isolation have changed for the 2021-2022 school year. To learn more about the process, 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.