… I don’t know how you do interpersonal on Zoom,” saiad McKenna, who questioned how children would develop interpersonal skills if they’re not around others and lamented the idea that they wouldn’t be able to run around and play together in person.īoard member Scott Schmerelson, a retired principal, said that when students come to campus, school staff can spot when something may be wrong, and urged district staff to ensure that social workers will check on students in online schools to ensure their mental and emotional wellbeing are being addressed. Though the majority of the board voted to apply for the school codes and to proceed with planning for the schools, some continued to raise concerns about whether students would be adequately served through online education.īoard member George McKenna, the only one to vote no during the vote, said he wasn’t convinced online schools are a great idea. The district plans to open up enrollment in March and, based on demand, would have a better sense of the staffing needs after that. The union is calling for a program “designed with equity in mind to support our most vulnerable students and prioritize those that most need an online option,” she said.ĭistrict staff said they’re soliciting input from parents and working with labor groups. “We ask that you meaningfully engage the community, labor partners and other stakeholders.” “We have an opportunity to do this the right way, to get the support of UTLA and the community,” union representative Ingrid Gunnell said. Based on an enrollment of 2,500 students per school, the district is projecting that each school would cost $2.7 million per year, in addition to one-time start-up costs.ĭetails such as what the themes would be and how teachers would be assigned to the schools have yet to be determined, though Baca said he had a hunch many of the instructors currently at City of Angels would apply to teach at the new schools.Ī representative for the teachers union told the board that while United Teachers Los Angeles recognizes that an online schooling option is necessary for some students, the union is concerned that no clear plan for the schools has been shared with the public, including which students would be eligible or whether any would receive priority enrollment, how students would receive technology and other supports, or how staff would be recruited. The virtual academies would be thematically based so students can select one that best matches their interests.Įach school would serve students in transitional kindergarten through the 12th grade. That still leaves potentially thousands who won’t be allowed back on campus if they don’t comply with the mandate by fall semester. Nearly 90% of students 12 and older have received their COVID-19 shots, the district said last month. We’re hearing there’s sizable interest in continuing” online, David Baca, the district’s chief of schools, told the school board. “The plan is currently to prepare for what we see is an anticipated increase in enrollment based on early surveys from current City of Angels online independent study families. A similar state mandate may also take effect by next school year. Starting next school year, students 12 and older must be vaccinated against the coronavirus, based on the district’s mandate. Unified will for sure open all six schools.īut officials are preparing for the possibility that thousands of students will once again opt for online learning next school year – either because they still aren’t comfortable with returning to school in person while the coronavirus continues to circulate widely or because they’ll be barred from campus for failing to comply with the district’s COVID-19 student vaccination mandate. Simply applying for the school codes does not mean L.A. 8, school board members voted 6-1 to authorize district staff to apply for a state-issued school code – a unique number that every school in California gets assigned for identification purposes – for up to a half-dozen alternative schools that the district is considering launching. The Los Angeles Unified School District will continue to explore offering up to six new online schools to students who can’t or don’t wish to return to in-person learning during the 2022-23 school year, when the district’s COVID-19 student vaccination mandate takes effect.ĭuring their Tuesday, Feb.
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