More than half a million Los Angeles Unified School District students are back to school Monday (you may have noticed on your lengthier morning commute).
One mother dropping her kid off at Lenicia B. Weemes Elementary School in South L.A. told KNX News’ Jon Baird her kids were excited to go back to school.
“They’ve been wanting to go back for a while now,” she said.
“Yeah, I’m kind of excited to go back to school,” her child echoed.
LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho called the first day “the reawakening of the sleeping giant from its summer nap.”
“520,000 kids, 70,000 employees, and after a terrific summer of rest and vacation – and also for those who attended summer school, you know, a time for catching up,” he said.
He added that the district had been working to get students caught up and address the chronic absenteeism issue. An analysis by Stanford University and the Associated Press found that in 2022, nearly half of the students in Los Angeles were chronically absent.
According to Carvahlo, some of the reasons causing that include misinformation about health conditions in the school, immigration issues, and students taking care of their siblings.
“We have a lot of secondary-age kids, high school students who are caring for their younger siblings while the parents work,” he said. “That is not the responsibility of a child.”
He added that parents who need help should contact their child’s school.
Another effort being made by the school district is transitional kindergarten.
“Particularly in this community where 80% of the kids live at or below poverty levels for kids who enroll in transitional kindergarten,” Carvalho said. “They have an early start at their educational careers.”
He said the additional benefits of transitional kindergarten include “support at an early age, early detection of possible disabilities or challenges, social emotional mental health support, food, nutrition, breakfast, lunch, and dinner for free, as well as a snack.”
Carvalho was named LASUD superintendent in December 2021, after serving as superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools in Florida.
During his time as LAUSD superintendent, he lifted the indoor mask mandate for students in March 2022 and bargained with the teachers’ union over a new contract,
The last day of school this year is set for June 11, 2024.