'First day of school' in Avoyelles could be from today until Sept. 1

For the next five weeks Avoyelles Parish could produce a mini-series entitled "The First Day of School." Actually, it would've been a six-part series that began last week.

There will be at least one school starting the 2020-21 school year each week from today (Aug. 7) to Sept. 1.

Two schools started the year off last week. St. Mary's Assumption in Cottonport and Avoyelles Public Charter in Mansura began July 27. They will be operating on a "year-round" model that provides a break in between grading periods.

Students at St. Joseph High School in Plaucheville reported to school today.

St. Anthony School in Bunkie begins the school year Monday (Aug. 10).

Sacred Heart in Moreauville starts 2020-21 on Aug. 17.

The last week of August is the main event, with Red River Charter Academy opening on Aug. 24 and the 10 schools in the Avoyelles Parish School District beginning on Aug. 26.

APSD will continue its 4-day school week while RRCA has the traditional 5-day week. All 11 schools will divide students into two groups so that some students report to school for instruction while the rest stay home and continue instruction with an online program. The two groups will swap places -- the public schools after two days and RRCA students each week.

The last school to open will be Nazarene Christian Academy in Marksville on Sept. 1.

Nazarene Academy has 27 students in grades 1-12 this year, teacher Ann Barnett said.

"We will have three groups of nine students each," she said. "We had to turn away some students this year because of concerns over the number of students in each group and to meet social distancing requirements."

The school has three teachers.

"We will be bigger next year -- after this all over," she added.

"We were supposed to open Aug. 10, and we were committed to doing that," Barnett continued, "but then the COVID numbers got so bad we decided it was wisest to put it off until Sept. 1."

Barnett said students will report to school every day.

"We don't have any virtual instruction," she said, "but students can do their work from home if parents are concerned about sending them to school."

Students' lessons are in workbooks, which they do at their own pace and are then tested when they finish that book.

Nazarene operates on a 4-day school week, Monday-Thursday. The APSD school week is Tuesday-Friday.

"We have had a 4-day week for over 30 years," Barnett said. "It has always worked well for us and the students."