LIVINGSTON SCHOOLS MOURN DEATH OF STUDENT-ATHLETE

Livingston Parish Public Schools received the sad news that Denham Springs High School junior Remy Hidalgo died in the early hours of Sept. 18.  He was in the care of Children’s Hospital New Orleans following an incident at football practice earlier this week.

School counselors have been made available at Denham Springs High School, as well as any other school in the district, to assist students and faculty who may need help.

The collective prayers and thoughts of the district go out to family and friends, and to the community who loved this special young man.

DISTRICT MOVES TO PHASE 3 SCHOOL ATTENDANCE PLAN

Livingston Parish Public Schools transitioned all students in grades Pre-K to 12 to receive face-to-face instruction five days per week on their home campuses this month following Gov. John Bel Edwards’ announcement to move the state into Phase 3 of its reopening plan.  The move was completed over a four-day phase-in period:

• Grades 6 and 9 returned full time to campus on Sept. 16
• Grades 7 and 10 returned full time to campus on Sept. 17
• Grades 8 and 11 returned full time to campus on Sept. 18
• Grade 12 returned full time to campus on Sept. 21

Students in grades Pre-K to 5 already were given the option to attend classes five days per week at their campuses under the Phase 2 Plan.

Superintendent Joe Murphy noted that many restrictions will remain in place in Phase 3.  In particular, buses are operating at 75% capacity and riders are still required to sanitize their hands upon entering; students are afforded multiple opportunities to wash hands and masks are still be required for students in 3rd grade or above, as well as for employees.  In addition, temperature checks are conducted every day by the end of first hour, and anyone with a temperature reading of 100.4 degrees or above is isolated for parental pick up with next step guidance provided. Students must still eat in their classrooms or designated areas, and lunches are picked up in the cafeterias in static groups.

GROUNDBREAKING HELD FOR NEW K-8 SOUTHSIDE CAMPUS

School officials and local leaders participated in the groundbreaking celebration for the new Southside Campus on Sept. 10.  Pictured from left to right are Livingston Parish School Board Members Brad Harris, Cecil Harris and Jan Benton; Southside Junior High Principal Wes Partin, Southside Elementary Principal Laura Williams, Congressman Garret Graves, Superintendent Joe Murphy, Former State Sen. Dale Erdey, State Sen. J. Rogers Pope, State Rep. Buddy Mincey, Jr., Livingston School Maintenance Director John Varnado, and School Board Member Bo Graham.

Livingston Parish Public School leaders hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking on Sept. 10 for the new $45 million, state-of-the-art K-8 Southside Campus that will be constructed in Denham Springs to replace two schools that were destroyed during the August 2016 flood.

The new two-story campus will incorporate Southside Elementary (K-5) and Southside Junior High (6-8).  Most of the original campus facilities for the two schools were demolished to make way for new construction. School officials opted not to rebuild Southside Elementary at its original site on Range Avenue, but to relocate it to the site of the 27-acre Southside Junior High site on Highway 16.  The property on Range Avenue is now home to the Denham Springs High School STEM and Robotics Center.

“This day marks the end of a long, arduous journey. It’s hard to imagine how much we have overcome since we were faced with only debris and destruction at this site.  But more importantly, this marks the first day a new journey for this community – one of restoration and progress and brighter, better days ahead,” Superintendent Joe Murphy said.

Murphy credited U.S. Congressman Garret Graves for his leadership and dedicated pursuit to secure funding for the new facility.  In particular, Graves saved the district $17 million by having Congress reduce the NFIP penalty against flooded schools in the parish.

Site preparation for the two-school campus is scheduled to begin later this month, with full construction slated to be complete by the start of the 2022-2023 school year.

TESTING PROCEDURES USED TO ENSURE CLEANLINESS OF CAMPUSES

Livingston Parish Public Schools is utilizing ATP meters to assess the level of cleanliness of surfaces in the system’s many classrooms and buildings.

ATP meters measure relative light units that identify living organisms on inanimate surfaces. ATP, or Adenosine Tri-Phosphate, is an energy molecule that is present in all living cells. If it is alive or was once alive, it contains ATP – this is true for animal cells, plant cells and bacterial cells.  A measurement of ATP can quickly correlate to a measurement of how clean a surface is – the less ATP, the less contaminants present and the cleaner the surface.

Risk Management Coordinator Wendy Gill said the ATP meter testing is done in 10 common traffic areas on every campus – the front main entry door, the waiting area in the front office, the cafeteria, the library, the school’s isolation room, and five random classrooms.

“The good news is that of the 170 tests conducted at 17 school sites tested to date, only a total of eight sites had areas on their campuses that have to be re-treated.  The rest had no areas that scored below a hospital grade sanitization level,” Gill said, noting that the district is currently testing its remaining campuses.