NOLA Public Schools has relented and, for the time being, will not be moving Homer Plessy School out of the French Quarter.
The decision to move the school out of its storied building in the Quarter was then rescinded by NOLA schools Superintendent Avis Williams.
Williams decision was met with strong resistance by people who did not want to see the Quarter without a learning facility since 1790.
Taking a cue from measurable resistance to the plan, Williams has stated that she is taking more time to reconsider the decision.
The big red schoolhouse building on St. Philip Street will stay.
“I am a leader who must make tough decisions and this siting was not one of them due to the compelling evidence to support the need to provide a safe and healthy learning environment for our scholars,” Williams stated in a Facebook posting.
Meanwhile the age of the structure and its ADA incompliance status remain unresolved.
In response to the about-face, Plessy School CEO Meghan Raychaudhuri issued the following statement: “We are pleased to learn that Dr. Williams is rescinding the decision to resite our Plessy French Quarter campus, while she further considers input from community stakeholders. As we move forward, we hope to iron out long-term solutions, namely how they will fund the $18 million over 10 years that they noted the building needs. Our historic French Quarter building deserves renovation and improvement to remain a place of learning, inspiration and joy for future generations of Plessy students to come. We encourage our community, our school families and all New Orleanians to take pride in their efforts to save this building and encourage everyone to turn their next focus to funding. The Plessy French Quarter campus is not just a place to educate children but also a part of what keeps the French Quarter a living, breathing neighborhood. It deserves saving.”
