NEW ORLEANS — The Jefferson Parish school district will not partake in the parent choice quarantine option made available by the Louisiana Department of Education this week.
Jefferson Parish Schools will join Orleans Parish schools in staying the course when it comes to requiring quarantines for students who may have come to close contact with COVID, and that means not giving parents the option of sending to school kids potentially exposed to COVID.
Close contact is defined as:
- Being within 6 feet of an infected person for at 15 minutes.
- Having direct contact with an infected person, including touching, hugging, kissing, or sharing eating or drinking utensils; or if an infected person sneezed, coughed, or somehow got respiratory droplets on another person.
The LDOE parent choice option makes quarantines for students who came into close contact with COVID no longer a requirement, however, school districts can opt to continue with quarantines or choose the "opt-out" option.
New Orleans' public school district was one of the first to reject the option.
Officials said that they strongly disagreed with the decision for optional quarantine because they believe that it will increase the risk of transmission of COVID-19 in schools.
NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis Jr. told reporters on Wednesday that LDOE's parent choice option goes against the data.
“We have proven that our approach is effective at keeping COVID-19 out of our schools," Lewis said. "We will stay the course and continue to listen to health experts."
State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley said the parent choice option was made in an effort to keep kids in school.
“We can no longer ignore the unintended academic consequences of our students unnecessarily missing school," Brumley said. "This new, common-sense option empowers parents and local communities with the authority to make health-related decisions for their students."
The Jefferson Parish School district is opting out of making those quarantines optional, JP Schools Superintendent Dr. James Gray said on Thursday.
“We are experts in education. 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,” Gray said. “After consulting with medical professionals, we have decided not to implement this option at our schools.”
Beginning Wednesday, St. Tammany Parish Public Schools students who come into close contact with a COVID-19 patient will not be required to quarantine.
Parents will be still be informed if they children are exposed to COVID, but parents will have the option to allow their children to remain in school.
STPPS Superintendent Frank Jabbia said parents should make the choice to send children who may have been exposed to COVID back to school.
“By Implementing the guidance from the LDOE for the parent choice option, we are allowing our parents and caregivers to make the best choice for their child and family," Jabbia said. "We look forward to keeping healthy students in school.”
St. Charles Parish's school district is still preparing to reopen schools in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. Officials are reviewing LDOE information but have not announced a decision.
St. Bernard, Washington, St. Tammany and Plaquemines Parish schools have not yet made a decision on the option but school board meetings have been scheduled for next week.