NEW ORLEANS — A boil water notice is a notification no one wants to get, especially not a parent or teacher during the first week of school.
“It was a challenge considering the time of the notice, because it was Tuesday evening,” New Orleans Public School Chief Operations Officer Don LeDuff said.
New Orleans Public Schools Chief Operations Officer Don LeDuff says they have several protocols in place to keep their students safe.
“This isn’t our first boil water notice, so we have a playbook in place,” LeDuff said.
During hurricane season LeDuff says the district always has an extra supply of bottled water, plenty to make it through a boil water notice.
Until the notice ends, water fountains are off-limits, and their faucets are covered in trash bags.
Hand washing is permitted, but each classroom is stocked with hand sanitizer to use afterward.
When it comes to the cafeteria, they go by a canned or pre-packaged-only policy.
Hand washing is permitted, but each classroom is stocked with hand sanitizer to use afterward.
“It isn’t ideal, we like our kids our kids to have fresh fruits and vegetables on a daily basis, but the circumstances cause us to pivot,” LeDuff said.
The notice isn’t just inconvenient. With temperatures rising to record highs, it could be dangerous.
“It’s not [a] joke,” WWL Louisiana Medical Correspondent Dr. Corey Hebert said. “You need to make sure your child has a bottle of water.”
WWL Louisiana Medical Correspondent Dr. Corey Hebert says very small periods of time outside are okay if proper hydration is supplied.
According to LeDuff, holding recess is a school-by-school decision, but everyone has the same goal.
“Our priority is always to keep our students safe,” LeDuff said.
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