Press Play with Madeleine Brand
When to reopen classrooms? Debate continues among school staff, parents, lawmakers
Governor Gavin Newsom today signed a bill that sets aside nearly $7 billion for schools that reopen for in-person instruction by the end of March.
By Madeleine Brand • • 51m ListenGovernor Gavin Newsom today signed a bill that sets aside nearly $7 billion for schools that reopen for in-person instruction by the end of March. It had bipartisan support in the state legislature — but lots of pushback from teachers unions in the state, including United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA).
Some parents of color are outraged, saying UTLA does not speak for them. Some parents in South LA are planning a back-to-school protest next Saturday in response. Also in February, the Pew Research Center surveyed people nationwide about their feelings on returning to in-person learning.
KCRW speaks with a researcher from Pew, plus a football coach at Loyola High School near downtown LA.
In this episode
5 storiesShould California reopen schools soon? Opinions differ among teachers, parents, sports coach
Governor Gavin Newsom today signed a bill that sets aside nearly $7 billion for schools that reopen for in-person instruction by the end of March.
Read the story12 minReserving a portion of COVID vaccines for hard-hit communities, and promoting equity in public health
As of this week, teachers are eligible to be vaccinated. The state is setting aside 10% of its supply for teachers. And now 40% will be set aside for people living in low-income communities that have been hit hard by the pandemic.
Read the story5 minOSHA didn’t investigate many workplace safety complaints it received during pandemic, report finds
More than half a million Americans have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic took off here almost one year ago. A lot of them likely caught the disease at work, performing essential jobs in health care, manufacturing, and food supply.
Read the story10 min‘Cool Beans’ and ‘Vegetable Kingdom’ are among the bestselling cookbooks in LA during pandemic
We’ve been basically close to home for almost a year. When we first went into lockdown, the shock of needing to feed ourselves at home by ourselves took awhile to understand. Some of us bought enough beans for the next millennium.
Read the story9 min‘Coming 2 America’ is a nostalgia fest, says critic. Will you enjoy it if you haven’t seen the original?
Critics review Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon,” starring Kelly Marie Tran as a warrior princess on a mission to restore peace to her country in Southeast Asia; “Coming 2 America,” the sequel to Eddie Murphy’s 1988 comedy about an African prince…
Read the story15 min
