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On Friday, Governor John Bel Edwards proclaimed that all public schools in the state shall close beginning Monday, March 16th until Monday, April 13th and any gatherings of more than 250 people shall halt. Additionally, he has suspended the requirement for 63,720 instructional minutes per year.

The AFT has done numerous information sessions since the coronavirus emerged, and we’ll do the largest telephone town hall to date this Saturday at 1 p.m. Central. We will highlight what we know, provide our recommendations and answer your questions. You can sign up for the town hall here. In order to join the call, you must R.S.V.P. by midnight on Friday.

The 2020 legislative session began Monday, March 9^th. It kicked off with the Governor’s annual State of the State address on Monday afternoon and continued with a flurry of introductory committee meetings.

Learn more about LFT's five main legislative priorities this session: 

1. Reduce Unnecessary Testing
2. Secure Pay Raises and Increased School Funding
3. Protect Retirement
4. Improve School Safety & Discipline
5. Expand and Protect the Rights of Working People

In March, BESE met to approve an MFP proposal with $80 million dollars in additional funding. They also examined the Jump Start program, talked about the process to hire John White's replacement and more.