Written by: Amanda Angulo
Gavin Newsom brags that students are back in classrooms. But are they? The day after the Sept. 14 recall election, Newsom went to an Oakland school to brag about California’s progress in reopening schools. More specifically that 95% to 100% of students in most districts are back in person.
However, a Monday EdSource report has found that districts are experiencing a lot of absent students. Students have been missing more than 10% of school days. Even in the community that Newsom visited. How could he say that 95-100% of students are back in person when Oakland Unified has an absenteeism rate of 33%. At Thermalito Union Elementary, that number is at 46%. 39% of students are absent at Stockton Unified, doubling the rate from two years ago, and over 26% are absent at Elk Grove Unified.
Experts claim that the numbers are so high is partly because students have to go home for quarantine and are marked absent for not signing in on their computer and completing their assignments for the day. Another reason could be that parents have decided to pull their children in person and continue their instruction online. Many of the 15,000 Los Angeles Unified students in the independent study program have encountered issues that block them from attending school for days or even weeks.
This issue seems to be worse for students with disabilities. Newsom signed legislation last week allowing students with special needs to continue instruction online, but many have gone over a month without instruction or care. Some parents are torn on taking their children in person if they know their students will not follow regulations, but leaving students with disabilities at home could be worse. They need hands-on activities and learning instruction.
Lastly, there is also a shortage of teachers and substitute teachers in California. Substitutes are currently filling 37% of positions in the Los Angeles Unified district. This means that students are not accurately being taught what they need to be and are not growing academically in those classrooms.
Everything Newsom brags about is just a ploy to garner public attention. He refuses to admit any wrongdoing and neglects to fix the problems that he has created. Instead, he ravages the state with strict mandate measures, which cripple the economy and suffocates students’ learning opportunities.
Photo from: NATHAN DENETTE/POOL /Reuters
