Superintendent's Message: JP Schools Maintains Current Quarantine Guidelines
JP Schools Family,
We’re on the eve of our final tier of school reopenings. Children will return to safe, welcoming environments at nearly all campuses tomorrow. Thank you for focusing on what matters most, especially given the unique circumstances faced by everyone in our region.
Our priority is to provide the best learning environment possible for students while keeping everyone safe. This is true whether restoring our aging facilities following Hurricane Ida or mitigating the effects of COVID-19. The Louisiana Department of Education created a new quarantine option that allows parents to decide if their child should quarantine after coming in close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 positive case. After consulting with medical professionals, we have decided not to implement this practice at our schools. We will continue to follow our current Start Strong Jefferson guidelines, which were developed using guidance from the Louisiana Department of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and local healthcare partners.
As educators, we are not experts on the virus. That’s why we’ve continued to work side-by-side with local and state medical experts since before the first case of COVID-19 in Jefferson Parish. These guidelines are based on the best information available today. We will continue to work with medical experts to ensure our mitigation measures prioritize the safety of students and employees and are appropriate for the current health situation. As the virus and medical recommendations evolve, we will adjust our plans accordingly.
Last school year, we were able to successfully educate children in-person thanks to our mitigation efforts and the dedication of our teachers, administrators, support staff, families, and school board. I’m confident we will come together again to move our children and our parish forward.
Dr. James Gray