Last weekend, more than 600 visitors watched the virtual town hall regarding the mid-April reopening of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).
“We want parents to feel as comfortable as they possibly can feel as their children re-enter their schools,” said Rev. J. Edgar Boyd, senior minister at First AME Church (FAME), who hosted the event. “So you’ll send them off to school feeling safe.”
Other representatives from FAME; West Angeles Church of God in Christ; City of Refuge Church; the LA Council of Religious Leaders; and Brookins-Kirkland Community AME Church were on hand for the faith community town hall.
As the second largest school district in the country, LAUSD has held more than community town halls during the pandemic in order for district representatives to answer pertinent questions regarding area schools so parents can best determine if their children would be best served with online instruction or classroom instruction.
“We recognize that the decision to return your child to classroom learning is not a simple one,” said district Superintendent Austin Beutner.
Return to campus family guides were sent to families via U.S. mail and email earlier this month. The guide includes a program selection form for parents to complete. They must choose whether their child will have a hybrid online learning. Additional questions regarding on-site supervised care (before or after school), school bus transportation, school calendars for 2021 – 2022 and summer school are included.
Additional copies can be found at reopening.lausd.net/familyguide.
L.A. schools will begin opening during the week of April 12. Beautner said students could suffer a lifetime of consequences if they are not back in the classroom soon. He highlighted several improvements on all the LAUSD campuses:
• Upgraded air filtration system to the equivalency of N95 masks in every classroom.
• Doubled custodial staff to clean every room top to bottom.
• Masks are required on campus and physical distancing is enforced.
They are also working on making the vaccine free of charge for the school community. The first school-based vaccination effort will be held on April 5 at Washington Preparatory High School, Beutner said, explaining that the district is investing $1.8 million in schools to help students reach their full potential by adding teachers, counselors, tutoring and small group instruction.
“But this is one topic that can’t be measured in dollars and cents,” Beutner said. “It’s about creating opportunity for students. We want all children back in schools where they belong.“
