LOS ANGELES COUNTY IS FAILING ITS KIDS AND FALLING BEHIND

 

LA County officials are playing politics and making arbitrary decisions which prevent the vast majority of students in LA County from returning to class—limiting the number of schools waiver applications to Kindergarten to 2nd grade and considering only 30 at a week.

In a County with 88 individual cities and thousands of public and private elementary schools, this will not come close to making a dent in giving students the education they deserve.

 

Other Counties in Southern California are Opening Schools Safely

Counties throughout Southern California, including Orange, San Diego, Ventura and Riverside counties, have successfully opened up the elementary school waiver process. However, LA County is still being banned from considering a school waiver option. If you think this is unacceptable, click here. 

LA County Officials Are Handpicking Industries to Save While Letting Others Fail

 

Although the state is allowing a pathway for schools and businesses to reopen under strict protocols to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Los Angeles County officials continue to deny the opportunity for the majority of LA County children to receive the education and care needed.

 
 
 
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Learning Loss & Impacts

The American Academy of Pediatrics released their guidelines for school re-entry with a strong recommendation that ALL policy considerations for the school year should start with the goal of having students physically present in school, noting the well-documented evidence of the negative impacts on children due to the school closures earlier this year in the spring of 2020. Research shows that the learning loss from the disruption in the spring can be equivalent to a full school years’ worth of academics for some. Dr. Sean O’Leary, a pediatric infectious disease specialist and one of the authors of the academy’s guidelines, observed through his own children that there isn’t a lot of learning happening with online learning.

 

“Lengthy time away from school and associated interruption of supportive services often results in social isolation, making it difficult for schools to identify and address important learning deficits, as well as child and adolescent physical or sexual abuse, substance abuse, depression, and suicidal ideation. This, in turn, places children and adolescents at considerable risk of morbidity and, in some cases, mortality”

 

Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) outlines the influence on children’s health and well-being when it comes to in-person instruction:

  • provides educational instruction;

  • supports the development of social and emotional skills;

  • creates a safe environment for learning;

  • addresses nutritional needs; and

  • facilitates physical activity.

We’re already seeing documented disparities in learning and access to education not only here in LA County, but across the nation. Access to education is a fundamental right that LA County officials are taking away from families.