SACRAMENTO — The biggest state Capitol battle this spring could pit California leaders against local school officials, civil rights groups and teachers unions over whether Zoom school should have a permanent place in the public education system.
A growing number of legislative Democrats are coalescing around limits on distance learning, fearful that some schools will stay with a hybrid or virtual model in the fall — and that the approach will hurt students who have disengaged from school and lost access to vital services. “We strongly believe we need to meet our families where they might be at this difficult time, and believe there needs to be a high-quality option for virtual learning for families that decide they are not ready for in-person learning or believe that virtual learning was the right choice for their child,” said Edgar Zazueta, spokesperson for the Association of California School Administrators.
Since 2015, California has allowed districts to offer online learning through independent study courses, which are annually certified and must provide 240 minutes of instruction per day. Those programs serve an array of students seeking an "individualized approach," including those at risk of dropping out or who are "highly gifted,"Those options were blown open out of necessity when the state called on districts to close all schools in March 2020.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said Monday that he's met with local superintendents and legislators to mediate. Just as the school reopening debate pit usual political allies against each other, so could the decision about fall instruction. Legislators who have heard from frustrated parents or have school-aged children themselves are unwilling to support any new online learning outside of exemptions for medically fragile students — including Democrats typically aligned with the California Teachers Association.
In some communities, Covid-19 concerns may not be the only driver. Carl Pinkston, director of the Black Parallel School Board in Sacramento, said Black parents lacked trust in the education system before the pandemic and want something different when their children return. Some parents feel their children are safer from discriminatory discipline measures when learning at home.
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This is a joke. They have had zoom school for 18 month and now say they are concerned about vulnerable students.
Staying at home isn’t ‘school choice’. propaganda
Poor communities lack digital infrastructure and home stability to thrive, Mental health and domestic abuse also issues.