This Week’s Headlines: School’s Out for Summer, How Should It Reopen?, and #DefundTheLASPD

If we thought the 2018-2019 school year was a weird one, we had no idea what this past school year would have in store. It started out normal, and then the virus hit, and two months later people were in the streets asking for the school police to be disbanded.

But the school year is finally over, with classes not scheduled to start again until August 18. In the meantime, Summer school will start next week, The Grab & Go program will continue through the summer, and parents are being asked to take this survey with their opinions on when and how schools should re-open.

Meanwhile, the American Federation of Teachers estimates it will cost $116 billion to open schools safely across the county before a return can be thought about.

Tomorrow, the School Board will meet and a contingent of teachers and other supporters are planning to use public comment to urge them to Defund the LASPD.

Eight days ago, the UTLA Board of Directors voted to call for the board to end its contract with the Los Angeles School Police Department. The movement to #DefundTheLASPD has many allies, and in the era where #BlackLivesMatter is now a mainstream movement in most cities, the school district is somewhat slowly responding.

So far, the district is “rethinking” its policies involving pepper spraying and applying choke holds students. While these common-sense reforms are good, it is not nearly enough for the activists, teachers, students, and parents who are asking for defunding.

Anyone interested in hearing more on this topic should listen to this episode of Air Talk, hosted by Larry Mantle and featuring Alex Caputo-Pearl, president of United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), Mya Edwards, who graduated last week from Venice High and Gil Gamez, president of Los Angeles School Police.