The New Orleans school district last week asked parents and employees to call a hotline and indicate whether they intend to return to the flood-damaged city.
District officials are drawing up plans to repair and reopen schools in the West Bank/Algiers neighborhood sometime next month鈥攑rovided that environmental, health, and safety issues are addressed. Alvarez & Marsal, the New York City-based crisis-management firm that is running the district鈥檚 operations, and Ora L. Watson, its acting superintendent, made the announcement jointly last week.
The number of schools that are opened will depend on student demand, Ms. Watson said in an Oct. 3 letter to parents and employees. And the number of teachers who are assigned jobs in the schools won鈥檛 be clear until officials know how many students to expect and which schools will open first.
Officials have determined that each reopened school will serve students from throughout the city. Most residents have left New Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina, which caused devastating flooding in late August.
Parents and employees wishing to notify the district of their plans should log on to or call (877) 771-5800.
