Teacher's union calls on LAUSD to keep students learning at home this fall

Teacher’s union calls on LAUSD to keep students learning at home

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) hasn't announced how or if schools will reopen in August. But on Friday, the teachers' union, UTLA, called on the district to keep students learning at home. Members are not convinced that the district could do all that is needed to keep students and faculty safe during the coronavirus pandemic.

UTLA even released it's own research paper, making the point that as a novel coronavirus, there are still too many unknowns on how COVID-19 presents in adults and children.

Dotson Middle School teacher Jennifer McAfee had a list of reasons why she believes LAUSD is unprepared to handle the recommendations to prevent the spread of coronavirus. She doesn't think the district is the resources. She gave many examples, but here's one, all the buses that transport students to Dotson.

"Imagine going from ten buses with 52 kids each, to how many buses with ten kids each. You know, just the resources alone. How many more buses do we need? How many more drivers are we going to need? Do we need an extra staff member on the bus to make sure the kids stay in their seats aren't taking off their masks?" said Jennifer McAfee.

The union is surveying its members, and the results are expected after 7 pm Friday. It was a simple survey asking LAUSD teachers and faculty if they were willing to go back into the classrooms.

But teachers and faculty aren't the only ones unwilling to give up distance learning. Sixth-grader Destiny Palicos told FOX 11's Susan Hirasuna that her family is so concerned she could catch coronavirus in school then bring it home, that they'd be willing to homeschool her. Destiny's goal is to become a doctor," so she could help people" and knows it could be a long time before she gets to go back to the classroom. She wants to do it, though, because she "really wants to become a doctor."