COVID-19

New Orleans continues to experience the highest rates of COVID-19 we have seen since the beginning of the pandemic. Governor Edwards announced on January 16th that the new UK strain of COVID-19, which is easier to spread, has been identified in the New Orleans area.

NOLA Public Schools has indicated that they will not continue to use the thresholds that they used in September to determine a return to in person learning. Those thresholds were based on CDC guidelines which have not changed.

Now is the time to challenge our newly elected Orleans Parish School Board to step up to ensure safety at

In the midst of COVID-19, school safety depends on transparency and accountability.

Sign the petition!

Pre-K through 4th grade students in Orleans Parish have returned for in person instruction without transparency and accountability for the COVID-19 Guidelines that NOLA Public Schools has written. Currently there is no clear way to report violations of the guidelines observed in school buildings and there is no public reporting of COVID cases or quarantining based on school based contacts, furthermore, it is not clear what concrete actions will be taken to hold schools accountable for

January 4th, 2021- Today New Orleans Public Schools announced that all schools should move to virtual-only learning by Thursday of this week. 

This is an important policy change that will help protect the health and safety of students, teachers, and all New Orleans residents who interact with those in our schools. Less than a week ago, the district had decided to insist upon in-person learning, but this caused an outcry from concerned educators, parents and students. The United Teachers of New Orleans published an Open Letter to the Superintendent and School Board outlining these concerns on January 1st, and in the subsequent days, several individual schools determined that they could not safely resume in-person learning at this time and decided to transition once again to virtual learning. MORE

As students begin to return to schools virtually during the pandemic the United Teachers of New Orleans is collaborating with First Grace United Methodist Church on re:Purpose a program to facilitate the repair and donation of computers to students of Orleans Parish Public Schools. 

Schools across New Orleans as well as NOLA Public Schools have invested in purchasing computers for students to access virtual learning. The goal for schools and for NOLA Public Schools is to have one device for each student in order to facilitate successful virtual learning, but at the city council meeting Monday

Here are all the calls made to the city's 311 line that are related to COVID-19 and that have the same address as a school. To find out more about the report, copy the service request number for the report and search for it on the city's NOLA 311 site.

If you see violations of the state's, city's, school district's, network's or school's COVID-19 policies at your school, please call 311 to report what you've seen. If you wish to report anonymously, indicate that when you speak to the person in the call center and do not provide your email address.  Make sure that your report is associated with

Workplace Checklist for Prevention of Exposure to SARS-CoV-2 Virus in K-12 Education

This checklist is a tool to help employers, unions, and workers in school districts to assess workplace
exposure, and identify prevention and control measures for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 disease. Key exposure risk factors include working within 6 feet of people who are known to be or are potentially infected with the virus and working with equipment, materials, and/or surfaces that are potentially contaminated with the virus. Get the Checklist Here

On July 8th, six organizations came together for a virtual town hall: UTNO, FFLIC, RETHINK, STEP UP Louisiana, OPEN, and Familias Unidas en Acción. Community feedback was collected during break out sessions, which allowed participants in small groups to voice their concerns and raise questions about the upcoming school year. We want to share these notes publicly in order to continue the conversation, especially as schools will eventually need to recalibrate as they consider transitioning from phase I to phase II. We believe strong and safe decisions are made when we incorporate as many directly impacted voices as possible, including parents, students, teachers, and school staff. We want those making decisions about our lives to read and listen to the comments and concerns of over 300 people in our community. Together we can improve the decisions about teaching and learning for the 2020-2021 school year.

Read the 46 Questions here.