LA Schools, Teachers Union Reach Deal To Reopen After Months Of Squabbles
The union, one of the most powerful in the country, took a hard line on vaccinations as a prerequisite for reopening the nation's second-largest school district. No specific date was given for reopening.
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. Schools Could Reopen Starting In Mid-April Under Deal With Teachers
Los Angeles students are a critical step closer to a return to campus beginning in mid-April under a tentative agreement reached Tuesday between the teachers union and the L.A. Unified School District, signaling a new chapter in an unprecedented year of coronavirus-forced school closures. The agreement, which must be ratified by members, establishes safety parameters for a return to campus and lays out a markedly different schedule that still relies heavily on online learning. The school day would unfold under a so-called hybrid format — meaning that students would conduct their studies on campus during part of the week and continue with their schooling online at other times. (Blume, 3/9)
The Wall Street Journal:
Los Angeles Schools To Reopen For Youngest Students In April
The Los Angeles Unified School District reached a tentative agreement with its teachers union that would allow some students in the nation’s second largest school district to resume in-person learning for the first time in more than a year. The deal will allow preschools and elementary schools to reopen in mid-April, though no specific start date was given. Services for students with disabilities of all ages would resume on campuses at the same time. (Mai-Duc, 3/10)
In related news —
Axios:
Los Angeles Schools Chief Details The Decision To Close Schools Last Spring
Los Angeles schools superintendent Austin Beutner says he knew the coronavirus had pushed the world to a tipping point in February 2020 when his city jumped from one confirmed coronavirus case to 14 cases in a matter of days. In an interview Tuesday with Axios Re:Cap, Beutner recalls how the second-largest school district in the U.S. prepared to shut down while making sure its most vulnerable families had the resources of more affluent classmates. (Gonzalez, 3/9)
In other news about children and school reopenings —
Axios:
USDA Says Kids Can Get Free Meals Through Summer
Children nationwide will be able to receive free meals when schools break for the summer after the U.S. Department of Agriculture extended several waivers on Tuesday because of the coronavirus pandemic. The department said as many as 12 million children are currently living in households where they may not have enough to eat, meaning they may rely on meals from school. (Knutson, 3/9)
Axios:
Schools Bet On Pool Testing To Keep Classrooms Safe
School districts across the U.S. are looking to add or expand frequent COVID-19 testing as a way to ensure in-person classes are safe. Surveillance testing is uncommon overall, but is gaining a foothold in schools as local officials look to keep kids safe and reassure nervous staff and parents. (Fernandez, 3/10)
Stat:
School Nurses Greatly Expand Role With Covid Vaccinations, Contact Tracing
Last September, as Covid-19 vaccine candidates were rapidly advancing, Katherine Park and six of her fellow school nurses in St. Louis County, Mo., envisioned school-based vaccination sites as an extension of the district’s pandemic response plan, which they had been working on for months. They reached out to the local health department, letting it know the district had buildings for use and more than 30 school nurses who could jump in on administering shots. (Sohn, 3/10)
KHN:
What Childhood Vaccine Rates Can, And Can’t, Teach Us About Covid Vaccines
Polls show Americans are increasingly interested in getting vaccinated against covid-19, but such surveys are largely national, leaving a big question: When the vaccines become available to the general public, will enough people get it in your county, city or neighborhood to keep your community safe? Data on childhood vaccines, such as the one that protects against measles, mumps and rubella, provide hints. They show that the collective protection known as herd immunity can break down in pockets where not enough people choose to be immunized. Experts say at least 92% of the population must be vaccinated against measles to prevent it from spreading. (Bichell, 3/10)
