NEW ORLEANS – (April 2, 2020) – Per today’s announcement by Governor John Bel Edwards to extend the stay-at-home order through April 30th, all NOLA public schools will remain closed for the duration of the month of April. This necessary action is an effective way to slow the spread of COVID-19 across our city and state.

“The Governor has extended the stay-at-home order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and I support that decision,” said NOLA-PS Superintendent of Schools Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. “We have been closely coordinating with schools and local officials to prepare for school closure. We have remained dedicated to serving our students through distance learning, providing schools access to mental health resources, and daily meals to those families in need during this trying time. We will continue to provide supports and solutions to our students, educators and families.”

NOLA-PS is problem-solving at the district level to help address gaps in internet access and connectivity across our community of schools. To that effect, NOLA-PS has procured 10,000 Chromebook laptops and 5,000 Wi-Fi Hotspots in an effort to improve distance learning. NOLA-PS is working in close coordination with schools to address the need for each student population and prepare the Chromebooks and hotspots for direct distribution to schools. The District is working quickly to have these much-needed resources received, programmed and distributed in a timely manner so that continuous learning can remain equitable for NOLA Public Schools’ students. We expect distribution efforts to begin next week.

“We (the Board of NOLA-PS) are committed to ensuring that our students, schools, and families are provided the resources needed during these unprecedented times,” said Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) President Ethan Ashley. “Our quick and proactive measures are guided by our desire to ensure that the education of our students can continue and remain on track. At the end of the day, we want our families to know that we are all in this together and we will continue to make the investments necessary for our students.”

Currently, NOLA-PS is executing the following to support students’ ongoing learning and will continue to do so throughout the month of April:

• Established an online tool box for charter schools to access that includes resources for schools to download to support student learning. The toolbox has been shared with early childhood providers, the Archdiocese of New Orleans and private schools as well.
• Providing a list of free online resources available to schools and students.
• Consulting with each charter school organization on their current distance learning plans in order to fill immediate gaps and identify emerging resource needs.
• Providing resources and planning supports for schools regarding special education needs and ensuring eligible high school seniors remain on track for graduation.
• Collecting and sharing resources with schools citywide on how to support the mental health needs of students and families during this crisis.
• Having dedicated staff on-call to help schools as they implement their distance learning plans.

The District understands these are uncertain times, but by following the advice of health and city officials and working together to keep our children and educators healthy, we will persevere. 

NOLA-PS continues to encourage our schools, students, and families to follow everyday practices to remain healthy and monitor their health in accordance with CDC recommendations including practicing social distancing.  

Additionally, NOLA-PS encourages all to remain connected and mindful of updates being disseminated by the District in order to stay informed of how COVID-19 is impacting our school community. For regular District updates, please visit our Coronavirus webpage.

For more information on the virus, visit http://ldh.la.gov/Coronavirus.

For information on what to do if you are sick, visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/sick-with-2019-nCoV-fact-sheet.pdf.

If you have questions about Coronavirus, please contact the Coronavirus general information line at 1-855-523-2652 from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

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  ABOUT NOLA PUBLIC SCHOOLS: NOLA Public Schools is the public school district for Orleans Parish, which includes the district’s elected school board, known as the Orleans Parish School Board and the district’s administration led by NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis Jr. NOLA Public Schools currently oversees 78 public schools. For more information, visit www.nolapublicschools.com. For updates, follow NOLA Public Schools on Facebook @NOLAPublicSchools, Instagram @nolaps and Twitter @NOLAPSchools.


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