Opinion
School Climate & Safety Letter to the Editor

Update on New Orleans Schools Missed True Flooding Cause

August 26, 2014 1 min read
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To the Editor:

As a New Orleanian, I always enjoy reading about my city, especially when the story is positive. The Aug. 6, 2014, blog post “Achievement Improves in New Orleans Schools, Challenges Remain, Says Report” (District Dossier) is one of the positive ones. It mentions the good things going on in our schools, but doesn’t gloss over the obstacles we still face. The future is bright, though.

The problem with the post is that it perpetuates the myth that New Orleans was flooded by Hurricane Katrina. The truth is that the storm blew through the city, doing very minor damage. The city flooded when the flood-protection system, designed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, failed. They have accepted responsibility for the design flaws that caused the disaster, and it matters that people know what really happened.

Linda Kocher

New Orleans, La.

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A version of this article appeared in the August 27, 2014 edition of Education Week as Update on New Orleans Schools Missed True Flooding Cause

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