LOS ANGELES – Hundreds of thousands of Los Angeles-area students on Monday are returning to campus for the first time in more than a year — a moment marked by pandemic-driven anxiety as well as by joy and relief after children's lives have been devoid of a sense of normalcy for so long.
The scenes are expected to include the familiar — yellow buses, tearful hugs goodbye between the youngest and their parents, happy reunions with friends. And the first day of school will also be punctuated with the signs of the times: wearing masks all day and lining up for coronavirus testing. Parents and school officials will be tracking news and data about the surge of the Delta variant, which poses ongoing risks during a pandemic that people had hoped would have mostly subsided by now.
Teacher Scott Mandel is among the many expressing palpable excitement.
"We're finally here. The first major step on the way to normal," said Mandel in a Facebook post. He directs the Pacoima Singers at the Pacoima Middle School Film, Media and Performing Arts Magnet. "Yes, there's a lot of trepidation; yes, there's a lot of uncertainty. But the only thing we know is that we're going to be back with our kids, in our classrooms, on the way to returning to normalcy. And that's enough to celebrate. If even only a little."
Huge numbers of students will be attending class at their schools for the first time — ninth- and 10th-graders at high school, sixth- and seventh-graders at middle school — all lost a chunk of experiences during campus closures. Many parents kept their children out of kindergarten last year, adding another level of academic and social uncertainty.
Among the major hurdles in the nation's second-largest school system is the district's determination to test every student and employee for a coronavirus infection before allowing them back on campus.
In addition to weekly testing, there also will be a daily health screening, called a Daily Pass, through which parents attest to their children being healthy. Through the Daily Pass system, students receive a scannable code to enter school. Alternatively, they can answer questions about their health from a screener at the entrance to campus.
The safety protocols at L.A. Unified are being touted as among the strictest in the nation, relying on layers of measures — such as masking, improved ventilation and increased hand-washing.
These measures also embody a degree of complexity, as they must be carried out across a system with about 465,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade and more than 75,000 employees.
"The vast majority of parents have said that coronavirus testing and use of the Daily Pass is going fairly smoothly so far," said Jenny Hontz, spokesperson for the local advocacy group Speak Up. "But we do have reports from parents, especially parents who are new to LAUSD, that they are having difficulty getting the Daily Pass system to work. We're also hearing that some parents are facing long lines for coronavirus testing and other logistical difficulties."
The period to take a baseline test was Aug. 2 through Aug. 14, but officials said they expected a fair number of students to show up without having been tested. These students will be offered fast-response antigen tests — as an alternative to turning people away, senior administrators told the board of education last week.
The parents of about 3% of students have indicated they will opt for an online alternative through an independent study program. Making that choice required filling out lengthy forms and leaving behind familiar classmates and teachers — at least for the time being.
Those returning can expect to find campuses cleaner than ever. After all, they were barely used for 17 months. There are also new sanitation protocols and more staff to carry them out — although not nearly as much staff as planned for. Parents will be watching how clean the schools remain.
Hundreds of classrooms are likely to open the year with substitute teachers as the district fell far short of hiring targets. As of Aug. 10, 479 classrooms were uncovered in a school system with about 1,000 campuses.
The district also fell far short of hiring targets for mental health and nursing services. It has the money. It could not find, screen and hire the people — a problem that appears to be common in other districts as well.
As teachers prepared their classrooms, they also had another obligation to address: a pending mandate for a COVID-19 vaccination. All employees must provide documentation that they are fully vaccinated by Oct. 15.
People also are concerned about what happens if there is a possible outbreak at a school. How many students will be sent home and for how long?
L.A. Unified officials refused to provide information about the results of the baseline testing. It isn't clear how forthcoming schools will be — in L.A. Unified and elsewhere — about posting information about infections on campus. Coronavirus cases must be reported to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, which will work with school officials to identify close contacts and notify them for follow-up testing and possible quarantines.
Despite all the unknowns and newness, Mandel, the teacher, had some advice for his colleagues:
"Enjoy the kids. They deserve it. We deserve it."
