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Dear friends and partners,
This week, L.A. County reached the state threshold for reopening elementary schools for the first time since March. The reduction of COVID in our community is extraordinarily welcomed news, but it unfortunately does not yet mean that we will return to school. As the Governor and State legislature continue to finalize a standardized framework for reopening that could help, the District has not yet reached a local agreement with our teachers’ union on what a safe return to campus will look like.
Our kids shouldn’t have to wait any longer. The District has worked hard to prepare our campuses to reopen and the County has approved our safety plan. Public health experts agree that we have all the necessary measures in place to significantly mitigate the risk of the virus being spread at schools, including social distancing and masking guidelines, and testing programs to provide a safe in-person learning option for our kids and families.
I have been advocating for months at every level of government to prioritize onsite teachers and school staff for vaccination. I was glad to see the Governor announce today that the State would soon begin setting aside a portion of vaccine doses for educators and school staff to speed up the process of reopening schools. LA Unified is eager to be part of the solution on the vaccination front, and we have begun vaccinating employees over 65 both at school sites and soon at SoFi Stadium. But the goalposts for when kids can be back on campus need to stop moving and we must get students back as soon as possible.
Finally, as we celebrate Black History Month, I was proud to vote to invest more than $36 million in support of Black student achievement. In addition to approving this new funding for academic support, social-emotional resources, and a new approach to school climate and safety, we also continued our efforts and advocacy around closing the digital divide with long-term connectivity solutions. I will keep working to ensure that students have the resources they need to learn virtually, and the ability to return to the classroom as soon as possible.
We’re all in this together, apart.
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