4 LA County Schools Cleared To Offer In-Person Classes For Youngest Students
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Four schools in Los Angeles County have been granted waivers to resume in-person instruction for students in pre-kindergarten through second grade.
The campuses are the first to receive such approvals since the waiver-application process began earlier this month.
The first schools receiving waivers are:
- Holy Angels School, 350 Campus Drive, Arcadia;
- Kadima Day School, 7011 Shoup Ave., West Hills;
- Los Encinos School, 17100 Ventura Blvd., Encino; and
- Rabbi Jacob Pressman Academy of Temple Beth Ann, 1039 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles.
Though most campuses across the country remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, L.A. County began accepting waiver applications from schools on Oct. 6 to resume in-person instruction for the youngest students.
The waiver applications must then be approved by both the county and the state.
County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl said she was pleased to see schools receiving waivers, but noted that three of them are private schools.
"These four schools, the first to be approved through the state waiver process, are independent schools, as are many of the schools that have applied to re-open TK-2 classrooms since the waiver process began," she said.
"As the waiver application process continues, I would not be surprised to see our public schools lag behind in their ability to re-open classes to all students as they do not enjoy the same level of resources required to fully shift to the processes necessary to ensure the health of every staff member and student."
The county will offer waivers for up to 30 schools per week, prioritizing those with the highest number of low-income students who receive free or reduced-price school lunches.
Meanwhile, hundreds of schools in the county have already been offering in-person instruction for high-need students under an earlier program instituted by the Department of Public Health.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
