EPSB learns latest CDC guidelines

Dr. Chuck Aswell provided the Evangeline Parish School Board with an update on the COVID-19 pandemic and debunked several myths regarding masking.
Dr. Aswell also shared guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) pertaining to masking is schools. According to the guidelines which were released Wednesday, August 18, students who wear a mask at school do not have to quarantine even if they come in close contact with a person who has tested positive for the virus.
Earlier in the meeting, the school board heard from Superintendent Darwan Lazard who addressed the recent test scores that showed there was a 10% decline from what students in the parish scored in 2021 compared to 2019. There were no tests in 2020 because of the pandemic.
Superintendent Lazard noted the district scored better than 40% of the school districts in the state but said, “we’re not satisfied with how we scored or where we are.” He added, 'We always want to be pushing higher and higher.”
According to Superintendent Lazard the decline was attributed to the loss of instructional days over the past two school years.
“March 13, 2020,” he said, “was basically the end of the school year. There were 47 school days in Evangeline Parish where students didn’t receive any instruction. Then, we started the 2020-2021 school year, and we had days out for hurricanes, ice storms, quarantining, and all kinds of things. So, we had a lot of interruptions throughout this school year.”
Despite all of the challenges, Superintendent Lazard maintained that the district’s commitment to excellence remains in tact.
“We have wonderful teachers, principals, and supervisors who are all committed to helping our students learn what they need to learn and to reach the goals they need in order to be successful in life.”
While he is concerned with the test scores, Superintendent Lazard said it will take help from the parents to ensure the students are safe and are able to attend school on campus and in the classroom.
According to the plan unveiled by curriculum supervisor Cherie Fontenot, there will be elements of acceleration and enrichment both in school and after school that are designed to target the learning loss and close the learning gaps created by the missed instructional days.
The superintendent said, “We want to make sure we close those learning gaps to the extent we can so our students can get back to their higher performance levels that we had a few years ago.”
Assistant Superintendent Michael Lombas stated the decline in scores was expected and that the district will take measures to correct the learning loss. Part of the correction comes from using the federal funds to fill new positions designed to be an integral part of the plan to get the students back where they need to be.
Lombas said, “Although it’s a somewhat disappointing report, the flip side of it shows how important the classroom teacher is and how big of an impact they have in this district.
Board member Mike Fontenot said he was concerned with the drop in scores. “I understand COVID was involved,” he expressed, “but COVID was involved for everybody in the state. I think we held back our students with virtual because we did not give them the opportunity to test out of things they knew and work on things they didn’t know to where they can advance.”
Fontenot went on to say, “For us to drop that much, some people have to be held accountable. We’re just failing our kids right now.”
Superintendent Lazard replied, “Yes, everybody had COVID, but every district didn’t respond to COVID in the same way. There are things that happened in Evangeline Parish that didn’t happen in other places as a result of COVID.”
Fontenot also referenced the void of certified teachers caused by taking teachers out of the classroom and putting them into the new 18 positions created by the federal funds. Superintendent Lazard said Fontenot’s issues never came up when the board voted to approve the request.
The board also heard from Evangeline Chamber of Commerce President Gwen Fontenot about an update to the Leader in Me program that is being piloted in four Evangeline Parish schools.