(NEW ORLEANS - Sept. 2, 2021) – Today, NOLA Public Schools and its school community announced they have completed assessments of almost all of the District’s schools and facilities.
The buildings, many of which were rebuilt or buttressed during the $2 billion federally funded school rebuilding effort after Hurricane Katrina, sustained minimal to no damage due to Hurricane Ida.
The assessment of the remaining school buildings and NOLA-PS facilities will continue through Friday. NOLA-PS continues to be in constant communication with school leaders on how best to serve their schools’ needs and the needs of their families.
The reopening of schools is directly dependent on the restoration of power, which began in New Orleans East and the French Quarter this week.
“It has been encouraging to see lights come back on in sections of the City,” said Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. “With those welcome signs, we hope the power is restored fast enough to let us invite students back to class as soon as possible. For now, we will continue to focus on caring for our schools, our teachers, our staff and our families and hope power is restored to the city quickly.”
“Our schools are intrinsically linked to the return of our way of life,” Orleans Parish School Board President Ethan Ashley said. “They provide the best learning environment for students and comfort to parents who are working through how to return to the City and restart their livelihoods. We need our schools open and running as soon as we can do so safely.”
NOLA-PS is working to establish a headquarters for coordinating the reopening efforts. Meanwhile, our operations team continues to assist its school networks in assessing the condition of all school buildings.
The City of New Orleans has opened water and food distribution sites. We encourage families to visit ready.nola.gov to find out where they can pick up supplies and for more information about the Hurricane Ida recovery.
NOLA-PS will continue to regularly inform the public of its progress.
“The Number One goal remains ensuring the welfare of our people – our educators, our staff, and our students,” Dr. Lewis said. “We are appreciative of the food distribution centers, the cooling stations, and the other accommodations the City has made to care for our NOLA-PS families and the people of New Orleans.”
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(New Orleans – July 30, 2021) – NOLA Public Schools (NOLA-PS) recently learned some families may have received inaccurate information concerning seat availability at the James M. Singleton Charter School for the 2021-2022 school year.
NOLA-PS would like to confirm that the James M. Singleton Charter School has available K-8 seats for the upcoming school year. If parents are interested in enrolling their students at the James M. Singleton Charter School, they may do so by selecting the James M. Singleton Charter School through the Summer Enrollment Form on the Enroll NOLA website or at a Family Resource Center.
If parents have tried to enroll their student at the James M. Singleton Charter School and were unable to do so, please contact NOLA-PS for assistance, via this email: direct@nolapublicschools.com.
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(New Orleans – July 1, 2021) — NOLA Public Schools (NOLA-PS) continues to offer families placement in available seats through a virtual enrollment process, which is open now. Families looking for a new seat in a public school are invited to participate via https://enrollnola.org/oneline.
Summer Enrollment Forms* submitted on or before Sunday, July 11th (extended from July 5th) will be entered into an abbreviated lottery. Families who submitted their forms in this window are expected to be served on or before July 16th.
From July 11 through Sept. 30, the process will continue and we will serve families in the order their forms are received.
*Summer Enrollment allows families to receive direct placements in available public school seats.
For assistance using our virtual resources, please email oneapp@nolapublicschools.com or, if email is not an option, call 1-877-343-4773 to leave a message. Visit our website for updated information on physical locations for technical support.
Summer Enrollment Forms can be completed on a desktop, on a laptop, or on mobile devices. Public libraries have limited computers available for use (distancing protocols are in place).
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The requirement will start Friday, July 23. This will not affect the start of the new school year.
(New Orleans – Jul 21, 2021) — Today, Mayor LaToya Cantrell and city health officials issued an indoor mask advisory in response to a spike in COVID-19 cases, due to the Delta variant. As a result, NOLA Public Schools (NOLA-PS) will require masks be worn inside all school buildings, regardless of an individual's vaccination status, starting Friday, July 23.
This requirement is designed to protect our youngest students who are the most vulnerable and not yet able to get the vaccine. The indoor mask requirement will stay in place until the city’s health data improves and after further consultation with our local health care leaders and NOLA-PS Medical Advisors.
The full return to in-person learning for our students will remain in effect. As stated by the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics, in-person learning is necessary to provide the best quality education to students, and we will strive to preserve it throughout the 2021-2022 school year with heightened safety and health protocols as we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We trust the recommendations of our health officials, and this requirement will not affect the start of in-person learning for the 2021-2022 school year. We are looking forward to a great school year where our children will, once again, be able to learn alongside their teachers and peers,” said Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. “Ultimately, we are in this together and we believe by working together - we are stronger together.”
NOLA-PS continues to encourage all eligible students 12 years and older and all school-based staff to continue to get vaccinated against COVID-19 before the start of the school year. Federal, state, and local health officials have consistently expressed that vaccination is the best protection against this virus and the best strategy to end this pandemic.
The health of NOLA Public Schools’ students, teachers, and staff remains our top priority, and the indoor mask requirement will help protect our school community. According to the New Orleans City Health Department, the number of new cases of COVID-19 is 9 times higher than it was 2 weeks ago, and all other data trends have increased on a similar trajectory.
“We need to lower these numbers,” said NOLA-PS Medical Advisor Dr. Ryan H. Pasternak. “After a year of monitoring data, we know the virus does not typically spread inside our schools when masked during educational activities. Therefore, out of an abundance of caution, and following recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics to mitigate the spread of the Delta variant, we are requiring everyone inside of a school facility to wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status.”
The NOLA-PS COVID-19 Guidance will be updated online by Friday, July 23. All other guidelines found there remain in place.
The guidance outlines our plans to continue to protect our students, teachers, and staff from COVID-19 and its variants. As the pandemic continues to evolve, NOLA Public Schools will continue to coordinate with our local health care and government leaders to monitor and track our city’s COVID-19 data to ensure we make the most informed decisions for the wellbeing of our students and school staff.
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WHAT:
NOLA Public Schools (NOLA-PS)’ Facility Renaming Committee will meet virtually to deliberate and take a final vote on the school name recommendations it will send to Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. for his review and approval.
Public comments will be limited to 1 minute per person to maximize public input. Any comment longer than 1 minute should be submitted via email to community@nolapublicschools.com. Public comment can be accessed by using the raised hand feature in the zoom meeting.
WHEN:
Tuesday, May 25 @ 4:00PM CDT
WHERE:
Renaming Initiative Public Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/94266930005
Or One tap mobile: US: +13126266799,,94266930005# or +16465588656,,94266930005#
Or Telephone: Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): US: +1 312 626 6799 or +1 646 558 8656 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 346 248 7799 or
+1 669 900 9128 or +1 253 215 8782
Webinar ID: 942 6693 0005
International numbers available: https://zoom.us/u/azg3kLjFJ
To view the meeting’s agenda, please visit: https://go.boarddocs.com/la/nops/Board.nsf/Public
WHY:
NOLA-PS is committed to renaming school facilities that have been identified as honoring figures from our painful past and is looking to move forward with the next step in the renaming initiative process.
After the Committee’s vote on its renaming suggestions, Superintendent Lewis will review the list of names and make his recommendations to the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) for their consideration and final vote of approval over the summer.
Nearly a year ago, NOLA-PS outlined a plan to rename school facilities in response to recent public requests and in accordance with policy approved by the OPSB. The board believes all schools should be welcoming, inclusive, and inspiring places for all students. Our goal is to ensure the names of these physical school facilities and the people that we honor reflect the values of the school district.
As their policy states, the OPSB is fundamentally opposed to retaining names of school facilities named for persons who were slave owners, confederate officials, or segregation supporters.
The OPSB shall have sole authority to name or rename any school facility (i.e., school campuses, individual buildings, athletic fields, stadiums, gymnasiums, libraries, fields, tracks, and multipurpose rooms) private drive, or street it owns. Public input has been a vital part of this process. The full Naming of Facilities policy can be found here.
It’s important to note NOLA-PS has the authority to change the outward facing name on any of its buildings. However, it cannot change the program name designated by a Charter Management Organization (CMO). CMOs are autonomous and are governed by their own boards and leadership. Therefore, for example, the OPSB could change a school building’s physical name to read Nelson Mandela School. But, if the CMO chooses to keep its program name, the school’s official name would be titled as follows: “McDonogh 7 Charter School at the Nelson Mandela building.” The renaming process is being guided by a Renaming Committee. In accordance with OPSB policy, this committee consists of a school board member appointed by the OPSB president; a representative of the NOLA-PS administration; and community members approved by the superintendent.
For more details about the renaming initiative, visit: https://nolapublicschools.com/renaming
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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 77 public schools and is led by Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr.
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