L.A. County Office of Education to Unveil Schools Reopening Plan

The Los Angeles County Office of Education released a detailed plan Wednesday imposing severe restrictions on what teachers and students must do when schools reopen.

The guidelines aimed at protecting two million kids from COVID-19 include a limit of 16 students per classroom, one-way hallways, assigning one ball per pupil to play with alone, a staggered school day, lunch to be served in classrooms instead of cafeterias, and a requirement that all students will be required to wear masks at all times, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The 45-page framework was developed through the work of county staffers, outside advisors and representatives from 23 county school systems, each of which must develop its own reopening plan.

“Our main priority is health and safety,” said Debra Duardo, the superintendent for the county’s office of education, which provides services and financial oversight for the county’s 80 school systems. “Unfortunately some of the things that children could enjoy in the past, they’re not going to be able to do that.”

School leaders and teachers have reported uneven student engagement and impediments to learning at home, underscoring the importance of an academically robust return to campus, even as the governor’s proposed budget envisions a cut for schools of about 10%.