Seven families – including several from Los Angeles – are suing the state over alleged inequities tied to remote learning.
The lawsuit states that it is incumbent on the state and its officers to get underserved students through the pandemic with an education that does not widen the gap between them and their more privileged counterparts.
A low-income Latin family from South Los Angeles claims their children's school in the LA Unified School District provided them with computers that did not work when remote learning began.
They were, however, able to get a laptop and hotspot from a community-based organization.
Plaintiffs' attorney Shaelyn Dawson says those types of groups have really stepped in.
"And shown that remote learning can be successful when the parents are included and consulted and the state has just abdicated all responsibility on that," Dawson says.
She says the ultimate goal is to ensure students have access to the connectivity and devices needed for remote learning, as well as training and support for their parents.
"Access to education is a fundamental right in California and it belongs individually to each student and the state itself is the body that bears the ultimate responsibility," Dawson says.
Earlier on Tuesday, in a statement, the California Department of Education said it cannot comment on the lawsuit because its legal team has not reviewed it.
California State Superintendent Tony Thurmond released this statement regarding the lawsuit Tuesday afternoon:
