State Education Superintendent Cade Brumley outlines initiatives to Houma-Thibodaux group

State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley outlined plans Tuesday to prepare for future hurricanes, revise social studies standards and prepare high school students for the job market.

Brumley spoke during the South Central Industrial Association’s general membership meeting in Gray.

He was joined by schools superintendents Philip Martin of Terrebonne Parish Jarod Martin of Lafourche, who updated attendees about the ongoing recovery from Hurricane Ida and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Brumley said he assembled a Hurricane Commission to create a “playbook” for local school officials to prepare for a storm and deal with its aftermath after the state was battered by Hurricanes Laura, Delta and Ida.

The commission has about 20 members from across the state including superintendents, principals and higher education leaders.

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The newly formed group was scheduled to hold its first meeting Tuesday evening onlive via Zoom.

“Our goal with the launch of the Hurricane Commission is to take the expertise of these individuals and develop a playbook that can be used for future storms in Louisiana that will allow us to move our students back into regular face-to-face instruction as quickly as possible while alleviating some of the stressors on leaders who are trying to find solutions to their challenges,” Brumley said.

Lafourche school officials estimated it will cost $97 million to repair damage from Hurricane Ida, which made landfall Aug. 29. Terrebonne schools sustained about $200 million in damage.

The commission’s next meeting is scheduled for March 14 and can be viewed at protectlaschools.org.

Brumley also updated attendees about the state’s proposed revision of its public school social studies standards.

The process is being guided by a steering committee of students, parents, academics and community members providing feedback to those teachers, Brumley said.

The standards, which haven’t been updated since 2011, are guidelines for the content and timeline of what history is taught in public schools.

According to Brumley, only 24% of students in Louisiana are considered proficient in social studies, which includes history, geography, economics and civics.

“We want to be able to capture multiple historical perspectives so that we have everyone’s stories as part of our story in Louisiana and the United States,” Brumley said.

The proposed standards, which will go before the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education next month, have drawn interest from the state Legislature amid controversy over critical race theory throughout the country.

Though the proposed social studies guidelines are “pro-American,” they don’t sugarcoat history, Brumley said.

“They are very pro-American but they also tell a complete story of the history of our country,” he said. “Moments such as slavery are certainly included. Moments such as the Middle Passage are certainly included. But they also go into particular detail to make sure students understand and appreciate the country in which they live and that it’s the greatest country on the face of the Earth.”

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Brumely also gave an overview of a plan to better equip high school students with the tools they need to enter the workforce or college by providing them with an apprenticeship, credential or skill.

The Fast Forward Program will prepare students for current and emerging professions by exposing them to high-skill, high-wage and in-demand positions, Brumley said.

“If a student graduates on May 15, we need them to be able to do something on May 16,” he said.

This article originally appeared on The Courier: State schools chief outlines hurricane plans, social studies standards