CALIFORNIA — Several local private elementary schools in the Los Angeles County are considering requesting a waiver, initially stated in the July 17 press release from California Governor Gavin Newsom, to reopen for in-person campus instruction.
The schools considering the waivers include Pilgrim School, The International School of Los Angeles, Holy Trinity in Atwater Village and Ribet Academy in Glassell Park. All Los Angeles County Schools were required to remain closed for the upcoming school year under Governor Newsom’s orders due to the coronavirus spike and increased hospitalizations. The waiver option came separately as a footnote in a 5-page document which California Department of Public Health released.
“I was transferred numerous times because no one was aware of the waiver program,” stated Ronald Dauzat, headmaster of Ribet Academy.
There will be a “Monitoring List” which will continue to track COVID-19 cases in each division. For the school districts to reopen, the county that they are located in must be off the monitoring list for 14 consecutive days. Waivers will be determined and evaluated. Currently, there are 24 counties on this list. As stated in the press release, the decision to grant a waiver would ultimately be decided by local health officers after receiving “community epidemiological data, consider other public health interventions and consult with the California Dept. of Public Health.”
All of the schools in Los Angeles County initially closed down in person classes in March and switched to remote classes to prevent the further spread of coronavirus and hospitalizations. Schools are currently anticipated to begin the year mid-August. For more information, visit cdph.ca.gov.
