Latest news with #LAUnified
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
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Agents detain student at gunpoint near school; safe zones to be expanded around LAUSD campuses
Los Angeles Unified school police, staff and community volunteers will form protective perimeters around at least 100 schools when classes begin on Thursday to help ensure the safe passage of children — an announcement that came on a day that immigration agents reportedly handcuffed, detained and drew their guns on a student outside Arleta High School in a case of mistaken identity, officials said. The 15-year-old boy, a student with disabilities, was visiting Arleta High School with family members when federal agents detained him, L.A. Unified officials said. Family members intervened and, after a few tense moments, the agents released the boy. The school's principal also came out to assess the situation. Agents left behind some bullets on the sidewalk, apparently by mistake, which were collected by school police. "Such actions — violently detaining a child just outside a public school — are absolutely reprehensible and should have no place in our country," school board member Kelly Gonez, who represents Arleta High, said in a social media post. A spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security could not immediately be reached for comment. Across Los Angeles Unified, parents, teachers and staff have expressed deep fears about school safety amid immigration raids. Citywide, leaders are concerned that children whose parents are living in the country without legal status will be kept home as families grapple with the climate of fear. L.A. schools Supt. Alberto Carvalho spoke Monday at a news conference near district headquarters, saying that the district is doubling down on efforts to protect students and families by creating and expanding "safe zones" around campuses, before and after school, with the help of community workers, school police and local police departments. Bass was not specific about what role the Los Angeles Police Department would play. "The school police and the Los Angeles Police Department have a strong working relationship and will continue to share information as appropriate as needed," Bass said. "But neither police departments assist with immigration enforcement, and have not for many, many years. There will be adults in the community who will serve as eyes and ears on the street." At least two mayors from smaller cities pledged direct police assistance in patrolling areas around schools. Although local police are not legally allowed to stop or interfere with federal law enforcement actions, authorities will alert parents along walking routes if agents are in the area. Also, they will trigger a communication chain to alert all nearby campuses of raids so that schools can take lockdown actions as necessary. The public commitment was intended to reassure families that school will be a safe place and that officials also will do what they can to protect families on their way to and from campuses. In a string of recent appearances, Carvalho has reviewed a list of measures taken by the nation's second-largest school system. These included home visits and calls in recent weeks to more than 10,000 families considered at risk of immigration enforcement or at risk of not coming to schools. The school system also is distributing family preparedness packets, "all the information in one single form, in a multitude of languages," said Carvalho, with the goal of "explaining the rights of our children and their parents, but also providing easy access to the resources that we have available to all of them." The district also has created a "compassion fund" to provide general help for families, including legal assistance. In addition to students from immigrant families, the school system also more than 350 employees who are working legally but who could have their legal status revoked. "They continue to be the valiant, productive workers they are with us," Carvalho said last week. The district is working to re-route buses to make transportation more accessible to families. For the most part, the busing system is used by students with disabilities — for whom transportation is legally required — and students attending magnet programs at campuses far from where they live. But this could change when the parameter for riding a bus is safety. In this light, neighborhood proximity to bus stops matters a lot, because families can be exposed to immigration enforcement while traveling to and from a stop. The buses themselves will be a considered an extension of the campus environment and federal agents will not be permitted to board them. The Monday news conference took place at Roybal Learning Center, just west of downtown, which also is the headquarters of the L.A. Unified School Police Department, which is expected to have a role in monitoring immigration enforcement and potentially confronting it. Others in attendance included members of the L.A. Board of Education as well as South Gate Mayor Maria Davila. West Hollywood Mayor Chelsea Lee Byers and City of Bell Mayor Mayor Ali Saleh. Los Angeles Unified covers an area totaling 710 square miles, which, along with the City of Los Angeles, includes all or portions of 25 cities and some unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Approximately 4.8 million people live within school-district boundaries. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Garfield, Roosevelt prepare to open new football stadiums this fall
As if the Garfield vs. Roosevelt sports rivalry needed any more incentive to excite its fans, both schools are preparing to unveil their new football stadiums and fields this fall after having no home games last season while construction took place. Final work could be finished by the end of this month. The Los Angeles Unified School District paid for improvements as part of campus modernization projects paid for by bonds. Advertisement Roosevelt has been finishing a $200 million school modernization project that included a new gym and new performing arts center. The stadium has new bleachers, press box, concession stands, scoreboard, all-weather track and grass field. "To all the seniors, it's going to be a blessing to play at home," coach Ernesto Ceja said. Roosevelt is scheduled to have five home football games and open the stadium against Lawndale on Aug. 28. Garfield's $8 million stadium project includes a new all-weather field, track, scoreboard, goal posts and concrete home bleachers. Garfield had some memorable mud games on its dirt and grass field through the years. The first home game will be against Bakersfield on Aug. 28. Advertisement Despite the new fields, the annual Garfield vs. Roosevelt football game that usually draws the largest crowd in the Southland will once again be played at a neutral site on Oct. 24. Last year's game was at SoFi Stadium. This year's game site has yet to be decided. It's been played at East L.A. College for years. Hamilton also has a new stadium set to be unveiled this fall with a new press box and bleachers. Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
L.A. Unified Sees ‘Major Gains' in Fight Against Chronic Absenteeism
Chronic absenteeism remains a problem for LAUSD, but the school district is making gains, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said on his last house visit of the year aimed at driving student attendance. The district made progress this year with the tricky challenge, Carvalho said during the home visit last month, but officials could not say how much progress was made exactly in reducing chronic absenteeism, defined as missing more than ten percent of the school year. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter 'Our approach is we support, we're not about penalizing,' said Carvalho of the strategy being employed in getting chronically absent kids to class. 'Two years ago, we were in a different position … [but] conditions have improved dramatically.' Carvalho said the number of chronically absent students is slowly dropping closer to pre-pandemic levels, in part because of the district's push to personalize its efforts to bring individual students to class, with well-known tactics like his house visits. Los Angeles isn't the only place struggling with persistent attendance issues. A study from the American Enterprise Institute found that chronic absenteeism nationwide rose over 10% from 2019 to 2024, peaking in 2022 at 28% of students. The same report said the national percentage of students with good attendance fell sharply between 2019 and 2023, compounding the problem. More and more research, in fact, is suggesting that higher levels of chronically absent students could become the new normal. In L.A., chronic absenteeism remains a problem. At the beginning of the school year, nearly one-third of all students in the nation's second-largest district were missing class enough to be deemed chronically absent. That's an improvement from the years following the COVID-19 shutdowns in the district, when nearly half of all students were chronically absent, the worst the problem ever got in LA Unified's history. Carvalho said it's gotten better because he and the district's attendance team got personal in their approach, tailoring efforts to individual families, and knocking on the doors where kids had repeatedly missed school. Attendance counselors, school principals, and sometimes Carvalho himself have visited with thousands of families personally each school year since then, and talked to parents about why their kids are missing class. They offer solutions, like free busing or new school uniforms, or whatever could help. The tactic is a standard tool for LAUSD, one that Carvalho and district attendance workers and officials trumpet as a reason for their success. But chronic absenteeism has been a serious problem for years in L.A. More than 32% of L.A. Unified students were considered chronically absent for the 2023-2024 school year, the latest year for which the data exists. That's well above the historic norms, but still an improvement from the abysmal previous years. Los Angeles Unified had 36% of students consistently missing class in 2022-2023, and just over 45% of students in 2021-22. Fallout from COVID-19 remains the main thing parents and educators blame for the historically high numbers. During Carvalho's last at-home visit of the year, the mother of a chronically absent student said that since the pandemic she's been confused over when to keep her sick home from class. At the start of the 2024-2025 school year, Carvalho said annual incremental gains will be how the district digs itself out. That plan appears to be working, he said in May, with last year seeing a dip and district officials expecting 2024 to have even lower numbers. LAUSD officials told the LA School Report that chronic absenteeism data for the 2024-2025 school year has not been finalized, so they could not quantify the gains. Still, Rudy Gomez, the director of iAttend, LAUSD's district-wide attendance program, said in an interview that the district has made progress fighting chronic absenteeism. 'We have had some significant gains in chronic absenteeism, although we still have a lot of work to do,' said Gomez. 'But we've seen some major gains, all across the board.'
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
These Southern California elementary schools made the 2025 California Distinguished list
The Brief State Superintendent Tony Thurmond announced that 336 elementary schools have been selected for the 2025 California Distinguished Schools Program. Schools were chosen based on factors such as academic achievement and positive school climate. The recognized schools will be celebrated at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim on May 30. LOS ANGELES - The California Department of Education has revealed the 336 elementary schools honored with the 2025 California Distinguished Schools Award. The award recognizes the school's efforts in closing achievement gaps and demonstrating exceptional student performance. What we know The California Distinguished Schools Program, established in 1985, is a key recognition initiative for exceptional schools, districts, teachers, and classified employees. This year, 336 elementary schools have been selected for their outstanding contributions to public education. SUGGESTED: USC implements hiring freeze, more budget cuts amid Trump funding threats The program identifies schools based on their performance on state indicators specified on the California School Dashboard, focusing on academic achievement, positive school climate, and participation in statewide assessments. Southern California Schools Here are the SoCal schools by county and district that made the list: ABC Unified, Cerritos Elementary Arcadia Unified, Camino Grove Elementary Arcadia Unified, Longley Way Elementary Bonita Unified, Gladstone Elementary Burbank Unified, Providencia Elementary Claremont Unified, Chaparral Elementary Claremont Unified, Sumner Elementary Compton Unified, Tibby Elementary Compton Unified, Roosevelt Elementary Covina-Valley Unified, Manzanita Elementary Culver City Unified, Linwood E. Howe Elementary Culver City Unified, La Ballona Elementary East Whittier City Elementary, Orchard Dale Elementary El Monte City, Legore Elementary El Rancho Unified, Birney Tech Academy Garvey Elementary, Duff Language Magnet Academy Glendale Unified, Verdugo Woodlands Elementary Hacienda la Puente Unified, Wedgeworth Elementary Las Virgenes Unified, Bay Laurel Elementary Las Virgenes Unified, Sumac Elementary Las Virgenes Unified, Willow Elementary Lawndale Elementary, William Anderson Elementary LA County Office of Education, Lashon Academy LA County Office of Education, Aspire Antonio Maria Lugo Academy LA Unified, Franklin Avenue Elementary LA Unified, Beckford Charter for Enriched Studies LA Unified, Third Street Elementary LA Unified, Community Magnet Charter Elementary LA Unified, Warner Avenue Elementary LA Unified, Open Charter Magnet LA Unified, Castle Heights Elementary LA Unified, Hesby Oaks Leadership Charter LA Unified, Colfax Charter Elementary LA Unified, Porter Ranch Community LA Unified, Carpenter Community Charter LA Unified, Kentwood Elementary LA Unified, ICEF Vista Elementary Academy LA Unified, Multnomah Street Elementary LA Unified, Sierra Vista Elementary LA Unified, San Jose Street Elementary LA Unified, ISANA Palmati Academy LA Unified, Stagg Street Elementary LA Unified, Allesandro Elementary LA Unified, Panorama City Elementary LA Unified, Newcastle Elementary LA Unified, Jaime Escalante Elementary LA Unified, Hoover Street Elementary LA Unified, Rockdale Visual & Performing Arts Magnet LA Unified, Gates Street Elementary LA Unified, Annalee Avenue Elementary LA Unified, City Terrace Elementary LA Unified, Dorris Place Elementary LA Unified PUC Community Charter Elementary LA Unified, Brocktown Avenue Elementary LA Unified, Brooklyn Avenue LA Unified, Figueroa Street Elementary LA Unified, One Hundred Twenty-Second Street Elementary LA Unified, ISANA Cardinal Academy LA Unified, N.E.W. Academy of Science and Arts LA Unified, Aragon Avenue Elementary LA Unified, ISANA Octavia Academy LA Unified, Magnolia Science Academy 7 LA Unified, Gledhill Street Elementary LA Unified, Alexandria Avenue Elementary LA Unified, Chase Street Elementary LA Unified, Coldwater Canyon Elementary LA Unified, Malabar Street Elementary LA Unified, Nevin Avenue Elementary LA Unified, Tulsa Street Elementary LA Unified, Bonita Street Elementary LA Unified, Hubbard Street Elementary LA Unified, Rosemont Avenue Elementary LA Unified, Reseda Elementary LA Unified, Soto Street Elementary LA Unified, Danube Avenue Elementary LA Unified, Westside Global Awareness Magnet LA Unified, Seventh Street Elementary Arts Integration Magnet LA Unified, Vermont Avenue Elementary Manhattan Beach Unified, Pacific Elementary Newhall, Old Orchard Elementary Newhall, Meadows Elementary Newhall, Pico Canyon Elementary Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified, Cornerstone Pedregal Elementary Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified, Silver Spur Elementary Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified, Montemalaga Elementary Paramount Unified, Howard Tanner Pasadena Unified, Field (Eugene) Elementary Pasadena Unified, Altadena Elementary Pomona Unified, Pantera Elementary Redondo Beach Unified, Birney Elementary Redondo Beach Unified, Jefferson Elementary Redondo Beach Unified, Lincoln Elementary Rosemead Elementary, Emma W. Shuey Elementary San Gabriel Unified, Wilson Elementary San Marino Unified, Valentine Elementary Santa Monica-Malibu Unified, Edison Elementary Saugus Union, Cedarcreek Elementary Saugu Union, Rosedell Elementary Saugus Union, Plum Canyon Elementary Saugus Union, Mountainview Elementary Saugus Union, West Creek Academy Saugus Union, North Park Elementary South Pasadena Unified, Marengo Elementary South Pasadena Unified, Monterey Hills Elementary Sulphur Springs Union, Leona H. Cox Community Elementary Torrance Unified, Yukon Elementary Torrance Unified, John Adams Elementary Torrance Unified, Towers Elementary Torrance Unified, Arlington Elementary Walnut Valley Unified, Walnut Elementary West Covina Unified, Merced Elementary West Covina Unified, San Jose Charter Academy West Covina Unified, Orangewood Elementary Whittier City, Mill School and Technology Academy Wright Elementary, Robert L. Stevens Elementary Long Beach Unified, Henry Long Beach Unified, Fremont Elementary Anaheim Elementary, Jefferson (Thomas) Elementary Brea-Olinda Unified, Olinda Elementary Capistrano Unified, Oso Grande Elementary Capistrano Unified, Philip J. Reilly Elementary Capistrano Unified, Truman Benedict Elementary Fullerton Elementary, Beechwood Elementary Fullerton Elementary, Robert C. Fisler Elementary Garden Grove Unified, Excelsior Elementary Garden Grove Unified, Loyal Barker Elementary Garden Grove Unified, A.G. Cook Elementary Garden Grove Unified, Patton Elementary Garden Grove Unified, Susan B. Anthony Elementary Garden Grove Unified, Merton E. Hill Elementary Garden Grove Unified, Brookhurst Elementary Garden Grove Unified, Louis G. Zeyen Elementary Garden Grove Unified, Ocia A. Peters Elementary Garden Grove Unified, Dwight D. Eisenhower Elementary Huntington Beach City Elementary, Ralph E. Hawes Elementary Irvine Unified, Plaza Vista Irvine Unified, Bonita Canyon Elementary Irvine Unified, Eastshore Elementary Irvine Unified, Portola Springs Elementary La Habra City Elementary, Arbolita Elementary Los Alamitos Unified, Rossmoor Elementary Newport-Mesa Unified, Heinz Kaiser Elementary Newport-Mesa Unified, Adams Elementary Orange County Department of Education, Irvine International Academy Orange County Department of Education, Oxford Preparatory Academy - Saddleback Valley Orange Unified, Nohl Canyon Elementary Orange Unified, Taft Elementary Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified, Golden Elementary Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified, Sierra Vista Elementary Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified, Lakeview Elementary Saddleback Valley Unified, De Portola Elementary Saddleback Valley Unified, Robinson Elementary Saddleback Valley Unified, Rancho Canada Elementary Saddleback Valley Unified, Santiago STEAM Magnet Elementary Santa Ana Unified, Fremont Elementary Tustin Unified, Tustin Ranch Elementary Tustin Unified, Ladera Elementary Tustin Unified, Red Hill Elementary Tustin Unified, Orchard Hills Tustin Unified, Benjamin Beswick Elementary Beaumont Unified, Starlight Elementary Beaumont Unified, Palm Innovation Academy Corona-Norco Unified, Temescal Valley Elementary Corona-Norco Unified, Benjamin Franklin Elementary Corona-Norco Unified, Prado View Elementary Desert Sands Unified, Gerald R. Ford Elementary Menifee Union, Taawila Elementary Moreno Valley Unified, North Ridge Elementary Murrieta Valley Unified, Monte Vista Elementary Riverside Unified, Magnolia Elementary Alta Loma Elementary, Jasper Elementary Alta Loma Elementary, Victoria Groves Elementary Chino Valley Unified, Country Springs Elementary Chino Valley Unified, Butterfield Ranch Elementary Chino Valley Unified, Eagle Canyon Elementary Chino Valley Unified, Lyle S. Briggs Fundamental Chula Vista Elementary, Sunnyside Elementary Etiwanda Elementary, David W. Long Elementary Fontana Unified, Beech Avenue Elementary Fontana Unified, Shadow Hills Elementary Fontana Unified, Date Elementary Hesperia Unified, LaVerne Elementary Prep Academy Morongo Unified, Friendly Hills Elementary Ontario-Montclair, Buena Vista Arts-Integrated Redlands Unified, Kimberly Elementary Redlands Unified, Highland Grove Elementary Rialto Unified, Samuel W. Simpson Elementary San Bernardino City Unified, Ramona-Alessandro Elementary Snowline Joint Unified, Heritage Victor Elementary, Sixth Street Prep Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified, Wildwood Elementary Dehesa Elementary, The Heights Charter Escondido Union, Heritage K-8 Charter Fallbrook Union Elementary, La Paloma Elementary Fallbrook Union Elementary, Live Oak Elementary Lakeside Union Elementary, Riverview Elementary San Diego County Office of Education, Dual Language Immersion North County San Diego County Office of Education, JCS-Manzanita San Diego Unified, Jonas Salk Elementary San Diego Unified, Benchley/Weinberger Elementary San Diego Unified, Doyle Elementary Solana Beach Elementary, Carmel Creek Elementary Solana Beach Elementary, Solana Pacific Elementary Carpinteria Unified, Aliso Elementary Santa Barbara Unified, Peabody Charter Santa Barbara Unified, Adelante Charter Santa Barbara Unified, Washington Elementary Conejo Valley Unified, Wildwood Elementary Conejo Valley Unified, Banyan Elementary Santa Clara Elementary, Santa Clara Elementary Simi Valley Unified, White Oak Elementary Simi Valley Unified, Madera Elementary Simi Valley Unified, Garden Grove Elementary What they're saying "It is my pleasure to honor and recognize these 336 elementary schools for their efforts to provide exemplary public education to all students. Excellent elementary schools play a critical role in the life outcomes of our young people," Superintendent Tony Thurmond said. The backstory To qualify for the Closing the Achievement Gap recognition, schools must enroll at least 40% of students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds and demonstrate exceptional growth in English language arts or math. For Exceptional Student Performance recognition, schools must achieve among the highest levels of ELA and math achievement and maintain a "blue" or "green" status on the Dashboard indicators. What's next The recognized schools will be celebrated at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim on May 30, alongside other awardees such as the 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools and 2025 Green Ribbon Schools Green Achievers. The California Distinguished Schools program alternates recognition between elementary and middle/high schools annually, allowing awardees to hold the title for two years. The Source Information for this story is from a press release published by the California Department of Education on March 25, 2025.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Yahoo
LAUSD sued over alleged misuse of funds dedicated for arts, music education
The Brief LAUSD is being sued for the misuse of nearly $80 million in funds reserved for arts and music education. The funds were dedicated from Prop. 28, which voters passed in 2022. LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles Unified School District students and the district's former superintendent, Austin Beutner, have filed a lawsuit against the school district and Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho, alleging the misuse of $76.7 million in Prop. 28 funds dedicated for art and music education. The Los Angeles Superior Court suit was filed Monday and contends that hundreds of thousands of students have been deprived from receiving expanded arts and music instruction as mandated by law. Parents of the plaintiffs, all LAUSD students, issued a joint statement about the suit, calling art and music education essential for their children to develop the skills they need in the classroom, in their careers and throughout their lives. "What LA Unified has done is they've used the new money to pay for stuff they're already doing. And we got the receipts. There's a memo from Carvalho, Superintendent Carvalho to the board of LA Unified saying, 'well, we used the money to pay for existing staff, but that's okay'. Well, it's not okay. The law says you have to use the money to add staff. They didn't," Beutner, who authored Prop. 28, told FOX 11. One plaintiff, a 15-year-old Franklin High School student, was never able to take an arts class at that campus or when she previously was enrolled at Luther Bank Middle School, the suit alleges. "Although plaintiff Alana S. is required to take at least one art class to graduate, she is not sure whether she will be able to get into one at Franklin High School because of how rare they are," according to the suit, which further states that her mother is looking for an after-school art program as a replacement. "LAUSD is denying our children and their classmates the expanded arts and music education in every school that Prop 28 provided," the statement read. "We are disappointed that we must go to court to compel Supt. Carvalho and LAUSD to follow the law." The LAUSD issued a statement regarding the suit, saying they have not been served with the complaint. "That said, we have sought to clarify any misunderstandings regarding Prop. 28 and we continue to follow implementation guidance as provided by the state of California to ensure that we are fully complying with the requirements of Prop 28," according to the statement. The lawsuit is supported by unions representing nearly all of LAUSD's workforce, including United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), Service Employees International Union, Local 99 and Teamsters Local 572. Passed by California voters in 2022 to address longstanding underfunding of arts and music education, Prop. 28 provides dedicated funding to school districts to hire arts and music teachers and aides at all campuses so that each student benefits from increased arts and music instruction. The official ballot pamphlet, prepared by the state Legislative Analyst's Office, states that schools must certify that the funds were spent in addition to existing funding for arts education programs. Prop. 28 also provides additional funding for schools attended by students who are eligible for free and reduced-price meals, in recognition that students from low-income families and particularly Black and Latino students often suffer the most from a lack of art and music education. In accepting Prop 28 funds, school districts are required to use this money to increase and not replace funding for existing art and music instruction and to allocate at least 80% of the funds to hire arts teachers and aides to provide music and art instruction. "LAUSD failed both requirements," the suit alleges.
