- Title: "My kids are not guinea pigs": Los Angeles parent supports remote learning
- Date: 16th July 2020
- Summary: EMMA DEL HIERRO SITTING ON KITCHEN TABLE (SOUNDBITE) (English) LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, BRENDA DEL HIERRO, SAYING "I mean, I was excited for them to go back so I can go back to my normal life as well. But I mean, the risk outweighs everything. I can't risk my kids getting sick or possibly getting somebody else sick or their teachers or vice versa. It's not ideal to have them home, but it's what needs to happen. And I'm so thankful that that was the outcome." EMMA DEL HIERRO EATING A STRAWBERRY WHILE IN CLASS VIA ZOOM (SOUNDBITE) (English) LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, BRENDA DEL HIERRO, SAYING "It's just extremely hard to keep them engaged, to keep them focused, to motivate them. My daughter's easier, a little bit easier to motivate, she self-motivates herself, and for my son, it's harder to keep him just engaged. He suffers from ADHD. So, it's, he's constantly losing track of what he's doing, or he gets distracted by the littlest thing or a sound from outside or whatever it may be." BRENDA DEL HIERRO POURING WATER FROM THE REFRIGERATOR INTO A CUP EMMA DEL HIERRO TAKING WANTER TO DAUGHTER EMMA WHILE SHE'S IN CLASS (SOUNDBITE) (English) LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, BRENDA DEL HIERRO, SAYING "For me, having them in school in a social setting, it was a huge importance for them to be in school. And I know that they're gaining so much from being around with other kids, just being around other teachers. But it's definitely a huge adjustment. But it's just, I don't think I would have it any other way than what it's happening now." BRENDA DEL HIERRO AND DAUGHTER EMMA DEL HIERRO SITTING ON A COUCH TALKING ABOUT SCHOOL PROJECT (SOUNDBITE) (English) LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, BRENDA DEL HIERRO, SAYING "There's a lot at stake, you know, a lot of things that need to happen prior to kids returning to school. I want to know what the real plan is. What is the plan to for safe return? And how are we going to keep that up? Because at the end of the day, it takes money and LAUSD doesn't have the money." EMMA DEL HIERRO TALKING ABOUT A SCHOOL PROJECT WITH MOTHER BRENDA DEL HIERRO (SOUNDBITE) (English) LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, BRENDA DEL HIERRO ON PRESIDENT TRUMP ORDERING THE OPENING OF SCHOOLS, SAYING "I think he should really let the, let schools figure out what they need to do, and he should focus on himself and focus on running other things instead of worrying about the school districts. Everybody's need is different, and for him to really say, hey, schools, you know, teachers are irresponsible. They need to go back to school. But my kids are not guinea pigs. I'm not going to send my kid to school to see if they're going to get COVID and to see if they're going to survive COVID. It's unfair to put that risk on our kids." (SOUNDBITE) (English) 10-YEAR-OLD EMMA DEL HIERRO ON DISTANCE LEARNING, SAYING: "It's been kind of stressful just because, I feel like we get more work, I feel like we get more work here than at school because it's not like something where we just go. And if we don't finish our work that time or that day, then we start it off the next day."
- Embargoed: 30th July 2020 03:00
- Keywords: Brenda del Hierro COVID-19 LAUSD back to school coronavirus school students
- Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
- City: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Health/Medicine
- Reuters ID: LVA003CMX9P3B
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: When Brenda Del Hierro realized her two children would be learning remotely in the fall, she was relieved.
Even though she wanted them to go back to classrooms so she could resume her normal life, Brenda believes the risk of catching coronavirus is too great.
"I can't risk my kids getting sick or possibly getting somebody else sick or their teachers or vice versa," she said on Wednesday (July 15).
Brenda was concerned they might bring the virus home to her mother in law, a breast cancer survivor who lives with the family in the Highland Park area of Los Angeles.
After weeks of online learning in the spring, the 33-year-old homemaker is hoping for greater communication with teachers and other parents in the fall. She says one of the biggest challenges of home-schooling is keeping her 8-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter engaged.
"My daughter's easier, a little bit easier to motivate, she self-motivates herself, and for my son, it's harder to keep him just engaged. He suffers from ADHD. So, it's he's constantly losing track of what he's doing, or he gets distracted by the littlest thing or a sound from outside or whatever it may be."
Del Hierro said she's bothered by the President Trump mandating for all schools in the country to open in the fall.
"I think he should really let the, let schools figure out what they need to do, and he should focus on himself and focus on running other things instead of worrying about the school districts. Everybody's need is different, and for him to really say, hey, schools, you know, teachers are irresponsible. They need to go back to school." said Del Hierro. "But my kids are not guinea pigs. I'm not going to send my kid to school to see if they're going to get COVID and to see if they're going to survive COVID. It's unfair to put that risk on our kids."
Del Hierro said she understands the social aspect of being at school physically, but prefers to have her children home until the school provides a plan for a safe return.
Her 10-year-old daughter, Emma, says the school workload at home can be stressful, but thinks it will get improve in the fall.
"I feel like we get more work here than at school because it's not like something where we just go. And if we don't finish our work that time or that day, then we started out the next day," said Emma.
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