Lafayette Public Schools Discussing Options for Return to Class

I still remember the looks on people's faces when I shared the news with them last March that schools in Lafayette and around the state were going to be closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. After a few days of confusion following that announcement, most school systems around the state found ways to put the "home" in homeroom with remote learning.

That was the last school year. We are currently in the planning stages for the 2020/2021 school year and the job of school officials is quite difficult, to say the least. The Lafayette Parish School System has made public some of the options they are considering for continuing the education of our young people.

Allison Dickerson, the Public Information Officer for Lafayette Parish Schools spoke with KLFY reporter Alece Courville about those options. In a report filed on the TV station website, Dickerson suggested the LPSS is looking at three different scenarios.

The first option would be the one that I think all of us are hoping comes to fruition. That would be that all students and faculty would be on campus. Sure, there would likely be restrictions and guidelines in place but it would be a nice return to normal to be able to have a regular school year.

The second option LPSS is reportedly considering involves a hybrid mix of classroom learning and online learning. The plan would reportedly have students alternating days inside and outside the classroom. It would certainly make the job of social spacing and sanitization of school buildings a lot easier.

The third option would be the continuation of online learning. In other words, what your kids were doing online to wrap up last year, we'd just keep doing that. I would hazard to guess that should that be the option of choice educators would be better prepared to teach remotely with several weeks of the summer left to plan.

As of now, we don't know exactly when Lafayette School Officials will make a decision on the school year. We can only assume that they, like the rest of us, are monitoring information from the Louisiana Department of Health and the Governor's Office.