On April 15, 2020, Gov. John Bel Edwards signed a proclamation closing K-12 public schools in Louisiana to students until the end of the school year, with students getting their education via remote learning, in an effort to fight the spread of COVID-19. Since Louisiana’s school facilities first closed in response to the pandemic, school systems and the Department prioritized the safety of students and staff.
In anticipation of school facility closure or modified operations in the 2020-2021 academic year, the Department focused on supporting school systems with preparing for a strong start, developing comprehensive plans to ensure all students had access to continuous quality teaching and learning, whether virtual, in-person, or hybrid.
Now, one year later, the Department is working with school systems to create comprehensive plans that prioritize safety, with additional efforts focused on:
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Getting back to in-person teaching and learning safely
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Assessing and addressing academic needs and accelerate learning
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Meeting the social-emotional and mental health needs of our students and educators
To support school systems with planning for and budgeting new pandemic relief funds the LDOE has launched Achieve! (pre-K-12) and Believe! (Early Childhood). The Pandemic Relief Library contains links to resources for Achieve! and Believe!, as well as resources previously made available to districts during the pandemic. The library will be updated as additional resources and information become available.