Private schools in Los Angeles prepare to open classrooms with new COVID-19 measures

Record ID: 1562349

  • Title: Private schools in Los Angeles prepare to open classrooms with new COVID-19 measures
  • Date: 14th July 2020
  • Summary: MONTEBELLO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (JULY 14, 2020) (REUTERS) EXTERIORS OF ST. ST. BENEDICT SCHOOL FRANK LOYA JR. SCHOOL PRINCIPAL ARRANGING CARDBOARD PARTITIONS ON DESKS CARDBOARD PARTITION WITH LOGO (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRINCIPAL AT ST. BENEDICT SCHOOL FRANK LOYA JR, SAYING: "Very challenging because the majority of my teachers have children. So, they're also teaching their class, their students in their classroom. Plus, since their children are at home also, they had to be teaching, directing them. Some of their children attend public school and some of them attend St. Benedict also. So, all that adjustment, I think, as teachers, they were very stressed." INTERIOR OF CLASSROOM SHOWING DESKS WITH CARDBOARD PARTITIONS MAP OF THE UNITED STATES ON CLASSROOM BOARD AND DESKS WITH PARTITIONS TEACHER'S DESK WITH AN APPLE AND PAPERS PAN DOWN FROM CEILING TO EMPTY CLASSROOM LA PUENTE, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (JULY 14, 2020) (REUTERS) STREET VIEW AT ST. JOSEPH SCHOOL VARIOUS OF CONSTRUCTION WORKER IN CLASSROOM PAN FROM OPEN CLASSROOM DOOR TO EMPTY HALLWAY EMPTY HALLWAY WITH CLASSROOM DOORS OPEN ST. JOSEPH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL LUIS HAYES TALKING WITH CONSTRUCTION FOREMAN (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRINCIPAL AT ST. JOSEPH SCHOOL LUIS HAYES, SAYING: "Education isn't the same when you're not in a classroom setting. When children are at home, it's hard to have classroom management, and also the student level of engagement changes. So, when you're in a classroom setting and when you're with the teacher, you have the classroom management and you have the engagement piece." VARIOUS OF PAINTER WORKING IN CLASSROOM (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRINCIPAL AT ST. JOSEPH SCHOOL LUIS HAYES, SAYING: "What we're currently offering is full day instruction, five days a week. We do have an early release day like we normally would, which is Fridays. But we do have a contingency plan to meet the needs of all our students, and whatever the guidelines may be, as things change, we remain flexible." SCHOOL PATIO WITH CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL ST. JOSEPH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL LUIS HAYES TALKING WITH CONSTRUCTION FOREMAN (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRINCIPAL AT ST. JOSEPH SCHOOL LUIS HAYES, SAYING: "Right now, the plan is to return to in-school instruction, but with mitigation. So, desks will be six feet apart. We'll have partitions, masks, temperature screenings, everything that's required of us from the Department of Public Health we're going to do and the Department of Catholic Education. We're going to follow their guidelines and make sure that we keep everybody safe. The priority is our children and our faculty, keeping everybody safe and making sure everybody gets home the way they're supposed to." EMPTY HALLWAY AND CONSTRUCTION WORKERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRINCIPAL AT ST. JOSEPH SCHOOL LUIS HAYES, SAYING: "We're going to do our best to make it work for our kids and for our parents. A lot of our parents are working parents, single moms, dual income families. They have to work; they have to take their children somewhere. And we want to do our part to support them and also support our economy." INTERIOR OF EMPTY CLASSROOM (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRINCIPAL AT ST. JOSEPH SCHOOL LUIS HAYES, SAYING: "For students to come back to school, it's really important that we give them that social emotional aspect and we give them time where they know how to socialize, but they know how to do it safely. And we practice all the social distancing," EMPTY CLASSROOM WITH CONSTRUCTION WORKER
  • Embargoed: 28th July 2020 22:40
  • Keywords: COVID-19 California St. Benedict School St. Joseph School catholic schools coronavirus education private schools schools social distancing
  • Location: LA PUENTE, CALIFORNIA / MONTEBELLO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
  • City: LA PUENTE, CALIFORNIA / MONTEBELLO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Health/Medicine
  • Reuters ID: LVA001CMS9BUV
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:While most public schools across the country will begin the new school year with online education in the fall, private schools in Los Angeles are preparing to open their classroom doors to students for face-to-face learning.
    At St. Benedict School in Montebello, one of 200 private schools in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, classrooms have been adjusted for social distancing, with cardboard partitions on top of desks to keep students apart. Class sizes have also been modified and temperature checks will be carried out when lessons resume on September 9.
    Principal Frank Loya Jr. told Reuters on Tuesday (July 14) his teachers are eager to return to school, after facing difficulties teaching from home.
    "Very challenging because the majority of my teachers have children. So, they're also teaching their class, their students in their classroom. Plus, since their children are at home also, they had to be teaching, directing them. Some of their children attend public school and some of them attend St. Benedict also. So, all that adjustment, I think, as teachers were very stressed," he said.
    A few miles away at St. Joseph School in La Puente, classrooms, restrooms and water fountains are being rebuilt to comply with new COVID-19 guidelines. The school had already planned renovations prior to the pandemic but with additional funding, they decided to expand further.
    St. Joseph School currently has 200 students enrolled for the 2020-2021 school year.
    "Education isn't the same when you're not in a classroom setting," said principal Luis Hayes. "When children are at home, it's hard to have classroom management, and the student level of engagement changes. So, when you're in a classroom setting and when you're with the teacher, you have the classroom management and you have the engagement piece," he said.
    Hayes said there's an vitally important emotional that comes with in-person instruction.
    "For students to come back to school, it's important that we give them that social emotional aspect and we give them time where they know how to socialize, but they know how to do it safely. And we practice all the social distancing,"
    There are approximately 73,000 students enrolled in 200 schools of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for the new school year.
    Tuition cost ranges from $5,000 for primary schools up to $11,437 for high school.
    (Production: Alan Devall / Norma Galeana)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register