Safety and Learning

NEW ORLEANS – Everyone has felt the harsh impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and children have especially felt it due to stay-at-home orders to prevent it from spreading. But as cases diminished, governments began to slowly lift stay-at-home orders and reopen public establishments such as libraries and schools. While the government has allowed schools to reopen, it’s up to the schools to establish their own procedures and ensure a safe environment for students.

At Greater New Orleans Christian Academy (GNOCA), we’ve taken steps to ensure the students’ safety and provide a quality education for stay-at-home students. The safety of at-school students is the school’s number one priority. When the students arrive, they are ushered inside a designated lobby to change their shoes from outdoor shoes to school shoes. Temperatures are checked at the entrance, backpacks are sprayed with disinfectant and students are required to thoroughly wash their hands upon entry. All at-school students are required to wear a mask both indoors and outdoors and are encouraged to practice social distancing. The classrooms have been cleared of all extra furniture. Clear plastic barriers separate the desks and each student has personal hand sanitizers.

While the school necessitates a safe environment for the children, they also corroborate high-quality education. The standards of learning in GNOCA have not diminished as a result of the pandemic, but we have used it as an opportunity to grow. We utilize every available resource to benefit the students’ education by using websites and advocating tutoring programs. This goes for both at-school and stay-home students. All stay-home students follow a well-planned curriculum for their Zoom classes and send their work online or bring it to school. 

GNOCA has combated the difficulties and struggles that this COVID-19 pandemic has brought with well-thought-out educational curriculums, a clean environment and safety precautions for all students. Thanks to the collaboration of the parents, educators, students and church, our school has thrived despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Rodil Capobres