Some parents and educators feel it’s long past due for kids to shed their masks and to reclaim a sense of normalcy. But others – especially those in hard-hit communities – are not ready…
As the debate continues over whether Los Angeles Unified should lift its indoor masking mandate – and if so, how soon and for whom? – there does not yet appear to be a strong consensus in the school district about the appropriate path forward.for kids to shed their masks and to reclaim a sense of normalcy more than two years after the coronavirus pandemic upended lives across the globe.
“We may want to have a conversation about elementary schools not lifting the mandate yet,” said Max Arias, executive director of Service Employees International Union, Local 99, which represents about 30,000 classified workers in LAUSD, including special education assistants, paraprofessionals, bus drivers, food service workers and custodians.
In L.A. County, about 35% of children ages 5 to 11 have received at least one vaccine dose and 29% are fully vaccinated, according to theSome who oppose giving the COVID-19 vaccine to children say younger people are less likely to fall gravely ill or to die from the coronavirus. While true, there have been incidents of hospitalizations andBefore the district changes its masking rules, Arias said SEIU would want assurance that safe working conditions can be maintained.
Should L.A. Unified decide to end the masking requirement, Paiz said the district should consider leaving its COVID-19 testing program unchanged – particularly at the early education and elementary sites. Currently, all students and staff members on every campus are tested weekly for the coronavirus, though district officials recently“As long as the testing is going on, then that will help” if the mask mandate is lifted, Paiz said. “The testing will still provide that safety net.
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