Mahogany Taylor, a 39-year-old mother of two and chair of the San Diego PTA Unified Council, said the loss of in-person instruction was particularly destructive to elementary students, many of whom cannot write and high school students. incomes, which often lack internet access, and which account for almost 60 percent of San Diego Unified students.
At the same time, Taylor said, a district-wide survey showed that 40 percent of parents already planned to insist on remote instruction. “Obviously we believe that school is the best place for children,” he said, “but we also want them to be safe.”
Across the country, school officials are trying to balance safety with learning losses. Initial research showed that during the first round of school closings, American children lagged, on average, seven months in their reading and math learning, with children from low-income families and students of color experiencing even greater losses. .
Still, district leaders in Los Angeles and San Diego said California was in no condition to reopen schools.
“Countries that have successfully reopened schools have done so with decreased infection rates and available on-demand testing,” the statement said. “California has none. The high infection rates in recent weeks make it clear that the pandemic is not under control. “
Beutner, whose district is the second largest in the nation, said in an interview that schools “can’t just touch our heels” like Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz” and “pretend it’s appropriate to bring people back.” Despite “skyrocketing” Rates of new infections.
The number of California deaths from the coronavirus rose to more than 7,000 over the weekend, with 7.4 percent of test results testing positive in the past two weeks, even as testing increased to more than 100,000 tests per day. The state’s watch list of counties where the virus has emerged, which has tagged Los Angeles and San Diego counties, includes 30 of its 58 counties.
