Orleans Parish Schools Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. is expected to provideCOVID-19 related updates, such as procuring PPE supplies for all Orleans Parish public schools, as well discuss and answer questions about the District’s plan for reopening public schools during a virtual press conference at Tuesday, July 14.
Among the plans Lewis is expected to discuss includes efforts to procure PPE supplies for all Orleans Public Schools.
Schools in New Orleans, like those across the state, have been closed since Gov. John Bel Edward’s late March proclamation ordering schools closed until mid April. That proclamation was followed roughly two weeks later closing schools for the remainder of the year in response to the pandemic.
Orleans Department of Health’s Director Dr. Jennifer Avegno is also expected to discuss how Her office and the City will work with school officials to analyze health data trends in order to prepare for the return to campus next month.
Just when and how students will return to classrooms as COVID-19 concerns remain and cases continue to rise has been a point of consternation locally, across the state and nationally. U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has reportedly threatened to withhold federal funding from schools that do not reopen, though she has no real standing to do so unilaterally or even at the behest of President Donald Trump since education funding is appropriated by Congress.
When and how public K-12 schools reopen in the coming school year remains guided by decisions made at the state and local levels.
The July 14 virtual press conference is the first in a series that the District will host every week leading up to the start of the upcoming school year.
