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PORT BARRE, La. (KLFY) — Port Barre’s public schools will be closing to students starting Thursday morning due to a COVID-19 outbreak, according to the school’s Facebook page.

“This week, the St. Landry Parish School District and Port Barre High School (PBHS) learned that a few staff members and students at (Port Barre High) and (Port Barre Middle) tested positive for COVID-19,” stated Principal Gary Blood. “As a result, the PBHS and PBMS campus will be closed to students at the end of the day tomorrow, August 25. We are taking this precautionary measure to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of all community members.”

Virtual learning will begin for students on Thursday, Aug. 26 and will last until at least Sept. 7, depending on infection rates.

“Your child will need to be logged into their teachers’ Google Classrooms to receive instruction daily during this time,” stated Blood. “Teachers will provide student login information through the student’s school email or letters tomorrow. Chromebook loan agreement forms are being sent home today and need to be returned tomorrow for students to receive their devices tomorrow at school.”

Blood’s full letter to parents is below:

Dear Parents/Guardians,

This week, the St. Landry Parish School District and Port Barre High School (PBHS) learned that a few staff members and students at PBHS and PBMS tested positive for COVID-19.   As a result, the PBHS and PBMS campus will be closed to students at the end of the day tomorrow, August 25th.  We are taking this precautionary measure to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of all community members. 

During this time, all students will receive remote instruction.  PBHS and PBMS staff members not affected by quarantining or the virus will be working virtually from school.   Virtual learning will begin Thursday, August 26, 2021, and in-person learning will tentatively resume on September 7th, contingent on what the data tells us about the number of COVID-19 cases in the Port Barre area. 

Your child will need to be logged into their teachers’ Google Classrooms to receive instruction daily during this time. Teachers will provide student login information through the student’s school email or letters tomorrow. 

Chromebook loan agreement forms are being sent home today and need to be returned tomorrow for students to receive their devices tomorrow at school. 

The Child Nutrition Department is making arrangements to provide for PBHS/PBMS students at the PBHS campus.  We will provide further details about the lunch distribution tomorrow.  

We will be closely monitoring this situation and following all directions provided by the Louisiana Department of Health.  Please note that while we have an obligation to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of all members of our community, we also must protect the privacy of individuals affected by this virus. Only “close contacts” are required to quarantine. The Center for Disease Control Prevention (CDC) defines a “close contact” as an individual who was within six feet of a positive case of COVID-19 for a duration of longer than fifteen consecutive minutes. The only individuals who need to quarantine are those who have been personally contacted by the Department of Health or the school nurse.

If you are symptomatic please stay home and contact your medical provider immediately.  If your child receives a positive COVID-19 result please contact Nurse Katina Johnson at 337-585-7256 or Nurse Sylvia Brown at 337-948-3646.  Your cooperation with sharing information with our nurses and reporting any positive cases of COVID-19 within your family or close contacts is crucial.

All other feeder schools in the Port Barre Zone will remain open at this time. 

Thanks for your patience and understanding in this matter.