Anticipating Thousands Of Unvaccinated Students, L.A. Expands Virtual Schooling

In preparation for the upcoming district mandate this fall, which will require students in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) to be vaccinated, educators are making plans to expand online learning options. On Tuesday, the Board of Education approved the establishment of up to six new virtual schools for transitional kindergarten through 12th-grade students, with the potential to enroll up to 15,000 students.

The purpose of this expansion is to accommodate the possibility that thousands of LAUSD students may not be vaccinated by the fall of 2022. Additionally, the district recognizes that some families may opt to continue with independent study for their children next year. Currently, nearly 90% of LAUSD students aged 12 and older have been vaccinated, but even with such high compliance, there are still around 20,000 unvaccinated students in the district.

The vote allows the district to seek county-district-school codes from the state, which are unique numbers assigned to schools for data keeping and tracking purposes. These codes are required for all new schools. The district will determine later whether all six online schools will be necessary, but the goal is to open enrollment in March.

David Baca, Chief of Schools in LAUSD, revealed that a survey was conducted among families with students currently enrolled in the independent study program, City of Angels. The survey found that 77% of the 6,200 respondents expressed a desire to continue with online learning next school year, surpassing the district’s initial expectations.

Interim Superintendent Megan K. Reilly emphasized the importance of expanding remote learning offerings, as it is crucial to be prepared for future circumstances such as new variants of COVID-19. The plan for the online schools includes giving them distinct themes and involving parents and teachers in shaping the program. However, further details and the actual creation of the schools will be overseen by incoming Superintendent Alberto Caravalho, who will assume his position on Monday.

The purpose of establishing these online schools is to provide families with options beyond independent study, allowing students to engage with online education that aligns with their interests. Some families chose independent study for the current school year due to safety concerns regarding the coronavirus. It is expected that many of these families will want to continue with remote learning next year. However, the majority of the demand for online schools is anticipated to come from families who are not willing to comply with the district’s vaccine mandate for students.

The vaccine mandate was approved by the school board in September and set a deadline for January 10. Unvaccinated students were supposed to be transferred to the City of Angels independent study program. However, the deadline was ultimately delayed to fall 2022 to avoid disrupting the education of a large number of students. This decision was made due to concerns about the strain on the independent study program, which experienced a significant increase in enrollment at the beginning of the current school year.

Board members George McKenna and Scott Schmerelson expressed concerns about the potential isolation of students in online education and emphasized the need for extra support to address students’ social and emotional well-being. The United Teachers Los Angeles also voiced reservations about the planning for the virtual schools, highlighting the lack of a clear operational plan, eligibility criteria for students, prioritization, and staff recruitment.

Open image caption

Close image caption

iStock/Getty Images Plus

Classroom Technology

Q&A

Is Remote Learning Here to Stay? Absolutely, But Improvements Are Necessary

Alyson Klein, January 31, 2022

•

8-minute read

Remove

Save to favorites

Gunnell stated that the district has not effectively involved the labor partners or other stakeholders from the community. She emphasized the importance of the district presenting a clear plan for the program and ensuring that it is designed with equity in mind to support our most vulnerable students and prioritize those who need an online option the most. According to district staff, teachers with reasonable accommodations for the online schools will be given priority. Other teachers, similar to those in traditional schools, can apply to teach in the virtual program.

The new online schools are likely to offer ongoing relief to the traditional City of Angels independent study program, which has been serving students with unique schedules for a long time, such as student athletes or student actors.

The enrollment in the City of Angels program grew to over 16,000, while it typically saw 1,800 students each year. Many parents chose the remote options at the start of the school year due to the surge of the delta coronavirus variant and continued with it during the omicron wave. They had concerns about the high transmission rates in the local area and their families’ safety. However, the program became overwhelmed, leading to long wait times for enrollment. Students with disabilities faced difficulties in accessing the accommodations and services required by federal law.

The district anticipates that each online school will have a maximum of 2,500 students. Each school will be staffed with a principal, three assistant principals, two academic counselors, as well as clerical and administrative staff. The total cost for all six schools is estimated to be around $16.2 million. Typically, school costs are covered by state funding based on enrollment, and the district plans to utilize federal COVID-19 relief funds to cover non-teacher staffing and resource expenses for the next two school years.

The impact of proposed state legislation that would mandate COVID-19 vaccination for all California students on online enrollment remains uncertain. State Senator Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) has introduced a bill to include COVID-19 vaccines in the list of required immunizations for K-12 students, in alignment with the mandates of LAUSD and other school districts.