The Lafayette Parish School Board meets in regular session today, and uniforms and COVID are on the agenda.
Board members are scheduled to discuss a shortage of uniforms in Acadiana stores. One parent told her board member that many stores don't have uniforms and are advising parents to order online. Board members would like staff to research the issue and report back with information on how this issue is impacting families, and any potential solutions.
The board also will discuss the proposed COVID plan for Lafayette Parish schools this year. The plan, which you can read for yourself by scrolling down, requires masks of all employees and students while indoors, and if social distancing isn't possible outdoors. Exceptions to that rule will only be considered with medical documentation, the plan states.
There's a protocol for what employees and students should do if they test positive for COVID, and for notification of those in close contact with a person who tested positive. There is guidance on group sizes, transportation, even drop-off areas at school. There are disinfecting requirements, vaccination information, and advice for schools with children too young to be vaccinated.
Currently, in Louisiana, everyone aged 12 years or older can receive the vaccine for free. For information about how to get vaccinated, click here.
The plan includes guidance for extracurricular activities and meals.
In the plan, Superintendent Irma Trosclair writes that it is fluid, based on advice from medical experts and what happens with the virus.
"The plan is based on the best available information today, but as we learn more — or as local conditions change — we will be reviewing and updating our protocols as needed. LPSS’s Learn Lafayette plan will be constantly evaluated to adapt to the continuing trends of the COVID-19 virus," she writes. "Please know that we will follow recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), as well as state and local health officials. Circumstances related to COVID-19 may change throughout the coming school year, and this document will be updated as conditions change."
The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. in the board room of the Central Office on Chaplin Drive. If you want to watch online, you can do so here.
Here's the proposed plan:
