LAUSD Teachers Union Calls For Schools To Stay Closed, Distance Learning To Continue

The Los Angeles teachers union has called for district school campuses to remain closed and online learning to continue when the 2020-2021 school year starts on Aug. 18.

The UTLA posted a notice on its website Thursday night calling on administrators to implement the request. The union also issued a report that indicated reopening will be difficult at any time in the near future.

The UTLA Board of Directors and Bargaining Team issued the demand.

“It is time to take a stand against Trump’s dangerous, anti-science agenda that puts the lives of our members, our students, and our families at risk,” said UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz. “We all want to physically open schools and be back with our students, but lives hang in the balance. Safety has to be the priority. We need to get this right for our communities.”

UTLA is also engaging all of its members in a poll on Friday, July 10. The one-day poll results will be out Friday night.

The research paper, Same Storm but Different Boats: The Safe and Equitable Conditions for Starting LAUSD in 2020-21, examines the specific conditions that must be met in the second-largest school district in the nation before any return to campuses can occur.

The UTLA claimed that even before the current coronavirus spike in the county, state and federal governments did not provide resources for increased health and safety measures.

“There is not enough time for the district to put together the detailed, rigorous plans for a safe return to campus,” the UTLA letter noted.