LOS ANGELES, CA – California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) President and CEO Myrna Castrejón issued the following statement today regarding the opening of Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD) vaccination center at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, dedicated for public school educators and staff:
“This is an important day for a region that has been particularly hit hard by this pandemic. Today, LAUSD is delivering on LA County Public Health’s charge for Districts to support collaborative education sector vaccine distribution efforts that include both traditional and charter public schools.
“One in four LAUSD students attend a charter public school. More than 80% of the families that LA charter schools serve are Black and Latino. Our schools are concentrated in neighborhoods in L.A. that have been hardest hit by COVID-19. These families have suffered most with distance learning. We have yet to see the full impact of learning loss and the emotional anguish students have experienced being away from their classmates and school activities.
“At the same time, so many staff have been working hard to deliver support and services through this crisis both at home and on campus. From pivoting to distance learning, to in-person meal distribution, to janitorial services and maintenance, to safely administering IEPs and bringing back cohorts of vulnerable students: the fact is that our school campuses were never really closed, supporting students directly and from afar. And it is also because of this continued success that we do expect campuses to open for students in an orderly and phased-in manner over the coming days and weeks.
‘Keeping education staff on the frontlines safe is our moral and professional responsibility—and we know the roll-out of vaccinations is a game-changer for staff who have been working on campus and those who will soon return. Charter leaders, teachers, and staff take seriously the privilege and opportunity to be vaccinated: we know that these vaccinations keep our frontline staff safer, and allow the education sector to lead when it comes to rebuilding trust in our institutions and science.
“Today, we celebrate another milestone in beating this pandemic. Education staff will be vaccinated, safe and ready to go!"
To coincide with today’s LAUSD news conference, CCSA is launching a media campaign called “Vaccinated. Safe. Ready to go!”
This educator-driven, statewide campaign will capture nonprofit charter public school educators' anticipation as they receive their COVID-19 vaccinations, getting them and their students one step closer to a reopening of all nonprofit charter public schools. The campaign will be broadened to include more regions of the state as more staff receive vaccinations and more schools begin to reopen.
To connect with L.A.-based nonprofit charter public school teachers for interviews, please contact Ana Tintocalis, CCSA Director of Media Relations and Research: atintocalis@ccsa.org
High resolution photos of the event held today are available to the media. Contact: jmacedo@ccsa.org