Several California lawmakers are proposing an urgency bill to require California schools resume in-person instruction once their county progresses out of the most restrictive tier of the state’s coronavirus tracking system.
If adopted by the state Legislature, AB10 would require after March 1 that once a county enters at least the red tier, schools would have to reopen classrooms within two weeks, following public health guidance.
Currently school district leaders make the decision when to return students to campus once a county is out of the purple tier, and some in Southern California have delayed that transition over local virus concerns.
The proposed law would still allow students to choose the distance learning option, said Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris, but targets concerns about the effectiveness of distance learning and the overall well-being of youth during the pandemic.
“As a mom, I am profoundly concerned about the shortcomings of distance learning and the harm that it’s causing for a generation of California kids,” said Petrie-Norris, who collaborated with assembly members Phil Ting, Patrick O’Donnell and Kevin McCarty to introduce the bill Monday, Dec. 7.
“Other countries all across the world have prioritized in-person learning and they’ve demonstrated how to do it safely,” she said. “What we’ve seen is that the shuttering of our schools is exacerbating already stark inequities. Here in California, the divide has been particularly stark.”
Petrie-Norris said many private schools have been able to reopen for instruction while public schools statewide, especially in communities of color, have struggled to follow. She believes a “two tier system” of education has been established.
Petrie-Norris said she also is concerned about overall development of children during their school years.
“It’s important to also recognize that schools play a central role in our kids’ lives that goes well beyond learning, including their emotional, mental and physical health,” she said.
Most counties in the state, including Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino, are currently in the most restrictive purple tier. Many schools in Orange County previously reopened at least for some on-campus learning while in the red tier or using a state waiver for elementary schools, but some large districts opted to remain in distance learning, citing safety concerns and rising COVID-19 cases. In Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire fewer districts have resumed in-person learning.
Trustee John Palacio, a school board member for Santa Ana Unified, one of Orange County’s largest districts, said he is skeptical of the proposed bill because of what he views as a “one size fits all” approach.
“The difficulty is that one size doesn’t fit all,” he said. “I know what they’re trying to do, but you need to be careful with that.”
The pandemic has hit his community’s residents hard, he said, “because they’re essential workers, living in overcrowded conditions and they don’t have access to health care.”
“Should every city in the county by treated the same if (the) COVID impact is different? My answer would be no.”
Al Mijares, the county superintendent of education, empathizes with the struggles communities are having with the virus, but said he likes the aim of the proposal.
“There is an effort for in-classroom instruction and more of that is better for kids,” he said. “(But) we see some challenges for those districts that have experienced high rates of positivity.”
As an “urgency bill,” the proposal would require a two-thirds vote in the state assembly and senate and would take effect immediately, Petrie-Norris said. AB10 could be introduced to the rest of the state legislators by mid-January, she said.
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