No Major Damage Reported for New Orleans Schools

A day after Hurricane Gustav pummeled Louisiana’s Gulf Coast, New Orleans educators were cautiously optimistic today as they waited to hear how their school buildings had fared in the storm and when they would be able to return to the emptied-out city and resume classes.

The prospect of flooded classrooms and lengthy disruptions to instruction in public schools that had been in session for at least two weeks appeared to wane as early assessments indicated that storm damage to buildings was relatively minor.

Paul G. Vallas, the superintendent of the Recovery School District in New Orleans, and members of his security and facilities team were inspecting schools today and had so...