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Dear friends and partners,
It’s been almost a year since we transitioned to distance learning, and the time is past due for leaders at every level to put politics aside, work together, and prioritize a safe return to the classroom for families who need that option. Our kids need their teachers back once it’s safe and our highest need students can’t afford to wait any longer. As LA County case levels continue their current downward trend, I will continue to push for LAUSD’s ability to reopen schools for families who wish to return with all the necessary safety measures in place.
Our facilities have been modified to follow health and safety protocols, we have districtwide COVID testing already in place and a plan for routine health checks, and will listen to public health guidance on mask-wearing, social distancing, and other precautions to reduce the risk for everyone on campus. During the fall semester, we ensured that our principals and their administrative staff, stationed in-person at their school sites, followed a detailed safety plan, including proper spacing of tables and desks within each classroom to prepare for in-person instruction. I visited nearly all of my school sites and checked in with principals to verify these protocols were implemented. And I believe that we can provide the safety measures needed to ensure our teachers and school staff are ready to return once County and State health conditions are met.
I also believe that California’s reopening plan should stipulate that once schools meet the necessary health and safety conditions, districts must provide an in-person option for those who choose. But any plans concerning the safety of our kids must be made transparently, equitably, and with the public’s trust. In our effort to provide continuous transparent communications, we co-hosted a virtual town hall with Superintendent Beutner last week to discuss the questions and concerns we’re hearing from our school communities. You can also find all our previous town halls covering mental health, enrichment opportunities, and more on our website and Facebook, as well as RSVP and submit questions for our upcoming one on “Navigating Screen Time during COVID.”
And as we begin Black History Month, I am excited to celebrate Black joy and achievement in our schools, but also acknowledge Black struggles, including the disproportionate toll this pandemic is taking on communities of color. We know that Black and Latino families are more hesitant to return to campuses right now, both because the pandemic is being felt more acutely in their communities, and because LAUSD has not always done the best job of gaining trust that we have their children’s best interests in mind. I will continue to work to build that trust with open, transparent communication, while advocating for the federal, state, and local pandemic relief these communities need.
No matter what, I will keep pushing for all families, and especially our highest need students, to provide an in-person learning option that is safe for our employees and students as soon as possible. Kids need their teachers back on campus once it’s safe—so we can all begin the process of recovering academically and social-emotionally from this crisis.
We’re all in this together, apart.
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