{"id":31991,"date":"2021-02-24T12:56:14","date_gmt":"2021-02-24T20:56:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=31991"},"modified":"2021-02-24T12:56:14","modified_gmt":"2021-02-24T20:56:14","slug":"la-county-supervisors-vote-to-provide-reopening-assistance-for-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=31991","title":{"rendered":"LA County Supervisors Vote to Provide Reopening Assistance for Schools"},"content":{"rendered":"

LA County will provide 1 million high quality masks to 81 school districts<\/em><\/h3>\n

Los Angeles, CA–\u00a0 The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has passed a proposal put forward by Supervisors Janice Hahn and Sheila Kuehl to assist schools across the county as they work to reopen and allow students to return to classrooms.\u00a0 The effort aims to address barriers that make it difficult for school districts in low income communities from meeting safety guidelines for reopening.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur kids need to be back in classrooms and I don\u2019t want any school to be unable to reopen because of a lack of resources,\u201d said Supervisor Janice Hahn.\u00a0 \u201cWe are going to give one million high quality masks out of our county\u2019s stockpile to schools that need them and connect school districts with resources so they can get ventilation equipment in classrooms to keep students and teachers alike safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

The\u00a0motion<\/a>\u00a0approved yesterday will mean the County will equitably distribute 1 million high-quality masks to the County\u2019s 81 school districts and help connect school districts with funding for upgraded ventilation systems and information they need to set up testing programs.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the last year, we\u2019ve learned a lot about how to keep teachers and students safe in elementary schools,\u201d said Supervisor Sheila Kuehl. \u201cMasks and adequate ventilation are very important which is why this motion focuses on those two elements. Nothing we do can bring COVID19 transmission risk to absolute zero. Our focus now must be on reopening those sectors that can be safely reopened, vigilantly adhering to recommended protocols, so we can minimize the likelihood of transmission.\u201d<\/p>\n

In LA County, COVID-19 case rates are down 90% from last month. On February 16, cases in LA County dropped below the State\u2019s threshold to allow schools to reopen for in-classroom learning for grades K-6. Schools are required to take steps to make classroom learning safer for teachers and students alike. This includes masking, adequate ventilation, regular testing, and contact tracing protocols.<\/p>\n

As school districts have moved to reopen with plans to vaccinate teachers and other school staff starting March 1st, public schools in lower income areas have found it more difficult to overcome hurdles to reopening safely.\u00a0 A recent survey of 20 school districts in Los Angeles County demonstrated that schools in more affluent areas are moving faster to reopen than those in lower-income communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hope to reopen our schools soon, but we face significant general fund expenditures and those expenditures may create barriers in delivering a quality education to our students,\u201d said Dr. Gary Gonzales, Superintendent of the South Whittier School District who called into the Board meeting to support the proposal. \u201cThe support that item 42-J would provide in the form of PPE, assistance in improving HVAC systems & establishing a testing cadence, would make for a potential savings to our general fund, but more importantly provide for a safe transition back to the classroom and provide peace of mind to parents as they send their students back to school.\u201d<\/p>\n

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