In response to the outbreak of COVID-19, or coronavirus as its commonly known, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards announced the he was closing all public K-12 schools in the state. It's a move that many states have made in response to the pandemic.

The decision to suspend schools has come with a lot of questions and concerns from parents. One of the concerns was around nutritional options for students, which is why both Bossier Parish Schools and Caddo Parish Schools have set up feeding locations.

One of the other frequently asked questions has to do with the minimum number school days to complete a year. The concerns are that students will have to make up all the time being missed for the COVID-19 outbreak. But we have an answer to that question as well. The answer is no, the students will not have to makeup these date.

Here is the info from the Governor's Office:

Effective Monday, March 16, 2020, all public schools in the State of Louisiana shall close facilities to students until April 13, 2020. Decisions about whether staff report to school facilities remains the decision of local governing authority.

  • Schools may offer complete distance learning, as capabilities exist. 
  • With appropriate social distancing measures, schools shall continue to provide meals or other essential services with applicable staff. View the School Meal Sites During COVID-19 Closures document PDF to determine what sites are currently available.
  • Instructional minute requirements shall be temporarily suspended for distance education courses and for curriculum delivery. 
  • The required 63,720 instructional minute requirement per year shall also be suspended. 
  • The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education shall report to the Governor and the Legislature any further actions necessary to ensure that eligible students achieve successful student grading, promotion, and graduation.

The portion about the "63,720 instructional minute requirement" being suspended is the focus. That's what defines the number of days schools need to count as a full school year. Since the state has suspended that requirement, students will not have to makeup those days.

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