BATON ROUGE, La (BRPROUD)- The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education President Sandy Holloway issued a statement regarding COVID-19 ahead of the upcoming school year.

The Louisiana Department of Education updated its “Ready to Achieve” COVID-19 guidance for the 2021-2022 academic year.

The guidance is based on current medical knowledge of how COVID-19 is transmitted and provides feedback and recommendations on protective measures for schools and the corresponding districts to consider for limiting potential exposure in school settings.

Here is the statement released by the BESE President Sandy Holloway regarding the updated guidance:

“The information recently published by the Louisiana Department of Education is provided as a resource for local districts and schools to use in establishing best practices for COVID-19 mitigation in the coming school year. These guidelines, based on the recommendations of the Louisiana Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control, are not state-issued requirements, but recommendations for local K-12 leadership to consider in adopting their own opening plans for 2021-2022.

“BESE has issued no mandates and approved no policies related to masking or distancing in schools for the coming year. Decisions regarding masking and other prevention measures are best made by those closest to our students, and Louisiana’s local school systems have the authority to develop COVID-19 policies appropriate for their communities.”