In addition to providing educational opportunities for students during the shutdown, LAUSD has also been distributing meals though its “Grab and Go” program at schools throughout the district. The program is earning mostly high marks, and was profiled in the LA Times last week as an example of a COVID response program that’s working. There’s also a video version of the story.
If you are in need, visit this link to see where the closest Grab and Go can be found.
Also, a hat tip for the fun #GrabnDough hashtag that features recipes to make better meals out of Grab and Go food bags.
And as we start to look forward to schools re-opening, hopefully in the fall, the question circles around what schools will look like on Back to School Day. NPR has some thoughts based on what is happening at re-opened schools throughout the world.
But all is not well with our public school system. EdSource reports that enrollment is continuing to drop throughout the district and that the crisis is already throwing the district’s budget into chaos.
At LAist, Kyle Stokes looks at the issues facing families with students who have specific needs during this crisis. His piece addresses four questions these families need addressed during the crisis, involving specialized education, IEP’s and grading.
Meanwhile, there’s still an election going on for LAUSD Board seats. Former candidate Carl Peterson skewers the attempt by charter school strategist Ben Austin to sustain an ‘anti-semitism sweepstakes’, falsely equating and comparing UTLA with the charter school lobby. During the primary season anti-semitic flyers deluged board district 3 in the Valley, and Austin claims these are subordinate to UTLA ads targeting high profile allies of Austin’s decades-long campaign to privatize public education.
I heard Austin Beutner on KPCC last week talking about feeding everyone who’s hungry. He sounds like a honorary member of the Black Panther Party! I bet come budget time, it will be a very severe austerity sentence.