EVEN DURING A PANDEMIC LA’S STUDENTS STILL DESERVE AN EDUCATION. IT’S TIME TO TELL LAUSD THAT OUR CHILDREN ARE WORTH MORE.

Last spring, Black and Latino students were 20% less likely to be engaged online. English learners and students with disabilities were left out and disengaged. LAUSD is providing a one size fits all schedule and program, rather than providing equitable opportunities to the students who have always received the least from the system.

LAUSD has drastically cut the student school day. Every day, LAUSD is giving its students much less instructional time (including time with teachers and time spent learning alone) than other big California school districts. Over the course of a year, a high school student in San Diego will get 90 more days of school than a Los Angeles high schooler.

At a moment when students need connection with their teachers and classmates more than ever, LAUSD cut instructional time with teachers by nearly 60% from what students would normally get. Other districts are doing much more: high school students in Long Beach are getting twice as much time with their teachers every week.

LAUSD is leaving out critical information about student progress and curriculum that families need to help their children while they are learning at home. This is especially harmful to students with disabilities and English learners.

In the Spring, LAUSD’s decision to neither provide video instruction, assess student learning, nor take attendance had a profound impact on students. Many students spent months totally disconnected from school and their peers, putting tens of thousands of students at risk of dropping out. The Fall plan eliminates normal interventions that would help keep students connected.