LOS ANGELES (CN) — The coronavirus outbreak forced Los Angeles schools to close last month, abruptly placing teachers, students and their families in home-based learning setups whether they were prepared for it or not. The crisis is compounding societal problems that existed before the crisis and challenging schools to adapt curriculum to a new normal.
The Covid-19 outbreak has shut down entire sectors of society, including the public education system in California, which has over 17,500 coronavirus cases as of Wednesday.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the state’s 6.2 million students will learn from home through the end of the school year, though local education and health officials may decide when classrooms open again.
Los Angeles Unified School District, which operates more than 1,400 schools serving nearly 600,000 students, announced in March it would transition instruction to a “distance learning” format. The district has given some students take-home work packets while promoting websites and phone apps so other students can complete coursework, create art at home or watch online learning videos.
The switch from in-person teaching to at-home learning is unfamiliar — but navigable — terrain for some families and a barrier to learning for others, especially those who lack access to the internet, struggle to pay rent or have other concerns that existed before the outbreak.
For LA single mother Betty Lee’s three children, distance learning means not seeing friends, spending too much time in front of computer screens and missing out on key performances in their high school’s musical and orchestra clubs.
Living in a Northeast LA apartment with no backyard during an outbreak also means Lee’s kids can’t go out as much as they’d like to.
“They have nowhere to go out to do anything,” Lee said in an interview. “They're cooped up.”
Lee is not an educator and is working to keep her kids motivated to work at home. But she says more support is needed for parents and students.
“Teachers are trying hard as they can as best as they can,” said Lee. “But I have no idea what assignments are due or past due and it’s difficult navigating all the apps.”
Tracking students’ online learning is not only a problem for Lee. At least a quarter of all high school students failed to check in to online classes on any given day last week, compared with 32% the previous week, according to an LAUSD spokesperson.
Parents can attend an online LAUSD training next week on how to support students at home, but Lee said she will miss the training since it’s during work hours and her job is considered essential.
Susan Reccelle, a single mother of three LAUSD students, said her household has internet but only one computer to share, forcing her children to navigate learning apps on small cellphone screens.
“It's definitely been a struggle,” said Reccelle, who lives in the Sunland-Tujunga community in LA County.
The family was relieved when Reccelle’s oldest daughter, who attends Verdugo Hills High School, received a Chromebook from her school. The younger children jump on the computer in the evening after Reccelle, who is working from home during the outbreak, is done for the day.
An LAUSD spokesperson said in a statement the district is spending more than $100 million to purchase laptop computers and Verizon internet hotspots for students. A hotline is set up for parents to request them.
Spectrum is also offering 60 days of free internet access to low-income residents. LAUSD estimates at least 100,000 of its students lack internet access.
High school students are being prioritized for the initial device distribution, LAUSD said.