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LA County To Hold Virtual Town Hall On School Reopening Process

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health will host a virtual town hall event Monday discussing steps being taken to protect children returning to school, the reopening process and school waivers.

Speaking at the town hall will be Dr. Barbara Ferrer, county public health director; Dr. Debra Duardo, county superintendent of schools; and Dr. Dawn Terashita, county public health physician specialist. Moderating the event will be Deputy Superintendent Arturo Valdez.

Schools throughout the county have already reopened for specialized services for students with high needs, students in grades TK-2 with accepted waiver applications, childcare and modified youth sports programs.

As of Monday, the health department has received 210 waiver applications from schools seeking to reopen for in-person instruction for grades TK-2 — 134 from private schools, 71 from public schools and five from charter schools. As of Wednesday, 29 waiver applications have been approved, and another 45 have been submitted to the state for final approval.

Health officials said 1,463 schools have already opted to offer in-person learning for high-need students — 73% are public schools, 16% are charter schools and 11% are private schools.

In total, more than 65,000 students and more than 28,000 staff have returned for in-person instruction.

The town hall will be held Monday from 6-7 p.m., and can be attended online. Parents wishing to submit questions can also do so online.

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