5 things to know as NOLA Public Schools shift to distance learning (Source: WECT) By Nicole Mumphrey | January 6, 2021 at 8:27 AM CST - Updated January 6 at 8:28 AM NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) -On Jan. 4, the Orleans Parish Public School System made to decision to shift all students back to virtual learning amid a surge in COVID-19 cases. The following was released from NOLA-PS: 1. Why move all schools to distance learning now? Throughout this pandemic, NOLA-PS has relied on citywide data and other key factors to monitor the COVID-19 impact on New Orleans and our community of schools. These metrics include such indicators as trends in the daily average of new confirmed cases, the daily positivity rate, and the availability of COVID-19 testing, among others.