With the first day of the school year just 20 days away, the United Teachers Los Angeles union on Wednesday continued negotiations with the L.A. Unified School District over how classes will be held.
The union pushed against having teachers holding virtual classes from campuses.
“While we know some of our members would like to teach from the classroom, the district has yet to provide clear safety protocols or evidence that it has secured the testing and Personal Protective Equipment necessary for staff to work from school sites,” a UTLA statement said.
LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner on July 13 announced that students will not be returning to classrooms, a move applauded by UTLA.
He said the district will release final plans by the first week of August.
Parents such as Brenda Del Hierro hope LAUSD would come up with a structured plan.
Del Hierro expressed sympathy for teachers.
“We have to think of them as humans as well,” Del Hierro said. “They have families, they have children as well. Who’s going to take care of their kids if they’re at school virtually teaching?”
In addition to dropping a requirement for teachers to physically return to school, UTLA said it’s asking LAUSD for technological support for staff, students and parents, as well as giving them the first two weeks of the school year to get acclimated with new technology.
The union also asked for consistent scheduling for elementary and secondary schools and more support for special education.
