ST. HELENA PARISH - After it was discovered that some St. Helena Parish students may have been exposed to individuals who tested positive for COVID-19, education leaders in the St. Helena Parish School District decided to have all students tested for novel coronavirus.

Officials have also closed area schools on Friday, Nov. 13 to carry out thorough cleansings of campuses.

During the deep cleaning, everything on campus, from the wheels of school buses to desks in parish classrooms will be cleaned.

The efforts, led by faculty and staff, begin at 8:30 a.m.; teachers will be responsible for cleaning their own classrooms while janitorial experts will take care of cleansing school buildings.

St. Helena officials say the cleaning is all in an effort to keep students, staff, and faculty as safe as possible.

Kelli Joseph, St. Helena Parish Schools Superintendent told WBRZ, "For the most part, the families in our community are very responsible because they understand the seriousness of this pandemic. But we do have some situations in our community where some children are exposed to COVID-19. We can't control what happens to our children in their homes."

According to data provided by the Louisiana Department of Health, as of Nov. 12 St. Helena Parish Schools has not reported any COVID-19 cases among its students, staff, or faculty.

The entire state's school system, however, reported a total of 729 new COVID cases reported between Nov. 2 and Nov. 8.