Holiday Message from Superintendent Irma D. Trosclair December, 2020

Dear Lafayette Parish Schools Community:

Looking back on 2020, I can say with confidence that it has been a year like no other. We’ve endured so much, and there are still challenges ahead, but I am deeply proud of how much we as a school system — as a community — have accomplished, working together toward a common purpose - the education of students. In addition to a pandemic, we experienced an active hurricane season, and nevertheless, we remained resilient and focused on making pathways to learning for the students of the LPSS.

I couldn’t be more proud of the efforts of all LPSS educators, staff, administrators, and other support personnel. Every one of you stepped up this year to make sure we could provide our students with healthy and safe learning environments. Health officials have praised the efforts of educators in creating safe learning environments for students. Your dedication to the success of our students is inspiring, and I know all the families of the district appreciate your hard work. Thank you for continuing to serve during such challenging times.

Parents, guardians, and families: You’ve been through a great deal this year, with many changes and disruptions to your normal routine. Thank you for your patience, your understanding, and for working with our teachers and schools to make sure that children are continuing to learn and grow despite the unusual circumstances.

Students: I know this year has been difficult for you in many ways. We’ve all had to make certain sacrifices in order to keep our school system up and running. I’d like to commend you for the maturity, patience, and understanding you’ve shown throughout the last year. You’ve continued to learn and achieve great things and we are all so proud of what you’ve accomplished.

As we wrap up the first half of this school year, I encourage parents to reach out to your child’s school and teachers to make sure he or she is on track. The connection between home and school is even more vital to your child’s social and academic success in a year like this one. There is still plenty of time to help students improve their grades and finish out the school year strong. As a reminder, the second nine-week grading period ends on January 22, 2020.

What we’ve learned this fall is that the greatest risk of COVID-19 spread comes not while students are on campus, but instead when they are in settings outside the school day. I urge everyone to please exercise caution when gathering during this holiday season, practice recommended mitigation measures, and take extra precautions to keep loved ones safe.

Lastly, I want to express my deep gratitude to the LPSS community, including our nonprofit and business partners, our volunteers and our supporters. I’ve been so touched by the love and dedication you’ve shown our schools and our students, especially with everything else that’s going on. I’m grateful to be a part of such a caring, committed and inspiring community.

My wish is that you are able to enjoy a safe and happy holiday season.