Opening up LA’s Public Schools
Los Angeles’ public schools should reopen now for kids in K-6 whose parents are ready for their children to go back into in-person learning.
The CDC and the American Academy of Pediatricians recommend school re-opening. https://www.npr.org/2021/02/12/967033554/cdc-offers-clearest-guidance-yet-for-reopening-schools and https://services.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/clinical-guidance/covid-19-planning-considerations-return-to-in-person-education-in-schools/ New York, Chicago and Boston are among the many big city school systems that have re-opened their public schools. Here’s the status of different states on reopening public schools. https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2020/health/coronavirus-schools-reopening/
Chicago reopened after a bitter fight between the teacher’s union and the city’s mayor. https://www.npr.org/2021/02/06/964885419/chicago-teachers-at-odds-with-district-over-school-reopening Boston public schools are reopening; some parents are still hesitant, and remote learning is an option for their children. https://www.wbur.org/edify/2021/02/11/parent-return-hesitancy New York City public schools have been re-opening on a phased basis, beginning last December. https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/health-and-wellness/coronavirus-update
The LA County Department of Public Health has given the green light to school reopening. http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/docs/protocols/reopening_K12schools.pdf Long Beach public schools are reopening, and their teachers are getting vaccinated. https://edsource.org/2021/long-beach-unified-is-largest-school-district-in-california-to-announce-reopening-plans/649242
The problem with reopening public schools in LA is a lethal combination of UTLA (the teacher’s union) and Superintendent Austin Beutner. https://ktla.com/news/local-news/teachers-union-resists-parents-push-to-reopen-l-a-schools/ and https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-23/parents-protest-covid-closures-demand-la-schools-reopen The LA public schools have already made the infrastructure investments to reopen safely. UTLA’s position is no school reopening at all until all teachers and all school employees are vaccinated; Beutner concurs. No one is in their negotiations, pushing for the interests of parents and their children experiencing huge learning losses.
In general, the wealthier white and Asian parents are pushing quicker school reopening while the lower income Hispanic and African American parents are more cautious. This reflects the impacts of the Covid pandemic, which has hit the low-income neighborhoods and the Latino and black populations the hardest. http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/coronavirus/data/index.htm#graph-deathrate
Covid cases are dropping very, very fast in LA. https://laist.com/latest/post/20210222/LAs-covid-19-case-bumbers-have-dropped-90-percent-since-height-of-winter-surge The decline is impacting all geographies and all ethnicities. http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/coronavirus/covid19_recovery_dashboard.htm
To date, vaccine distribution has been highly unequal, and it has depended on seniors’ ability to quickly access scarce appointments on their computers. https://www.latimes.com/projects/california-coronavirus-cases-tracking-outbreak/covid-19-vaccines-distribution/ About half of LA seniors are now vaccinated. As new programs open up to provide better access to low-income seniors, more and more non-seniors from privileged backgrounds are jumping the lines. https://ktla.com/news/local-news/vaccine-access-codes-intended-for-black-latino-communities-being-misused-by-wealthier-l-a-areas/
On March 15, vaccine eligibility will open to high-risk individuals under age 65. https://abc7.com/california-vaccine-covid-19-los-angeles-county-vaccination-coronavirus/10334392/ Eligibility will open to essential workforces on March 1. https://ktla.com/news/local-news/teachers-grocery-store-employees-among-essential-workers-eligible-for-covid-19-vaccine-in-l-a-county-starting-march-1/
All groups are positioning their members to get to the front of the line because vaccine supplies are limited, and demand is extensive. So who do you prioritize -- your neighbor or a family member with a pre-existing medical condition like lung disease, diabetes or cancer, the grocery store worker who has been serving their customers throughout the pandemic, the farm workers who grow our food, the person who provides child care for your children or grand children, or your children’s teachers. These are tough choices. My own sympathy goes first and foremost to those at highest medical risk.
Prepared by: Lucien Wulsin
Dated: 2/23/21