The Los Angeles Unified School District has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by families of students who lagged in their education during the COVID-19 pandemic, committing to helping the children catch up on their studies.
The development makes more than 250,000 students in Los Angeles Unified eligible for extra tutoring, summer school, and other academic assistance services. The settlement of the lawsuit comes after the school district was accused of its remote learning practices during the health crisis being discriminatory.
LA Unified School District Agrees To Settlement
The settlement was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, and it was announced on Wednesday by the law firm that is representing the families of the students. A partner at the law firm Kirkland & Ellis, Edward Hillenbrand, said that they are proud to have secured a historic settlement.
Following the announcement, LA Unified did not comment on the development because the settlement has not yet been approved by the court. There is a hearing scheduled for December despite the settlement going into effect immediately, according to Cal Matters.
The lawsuit comes as, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Los Angeles and almost every other school district in California were forced to close in-person teaching from March 2020 through fall 2021. Students who were affected had to attend classes virtually, and the majority of children fell behind in their studies.
Additionally, test scores statewide plummeted after officials reopened schools, and chronic absenteeism soared. A group of families whose children were struggling to make progress during remote learning filed a lawsuit against LA Unified in the fall of 2020, arguing that the district failed to do enough to ensure that students received adequate education.
The families and advocacy groups who supported the lawsuit pointed to shortened class times, inconsistent instruction, and widespread connectivity issues. They said these are all factors that left the majority of students disengaged during remote learning, the Times of India reported.
Failure of Remote Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The plaintiffs also said that the shortcomings disproportionately harmed Black, Latino, and low-income students, which deepened existing inequities. The case was originally dismissed in 2021, but the California Court of Appeal reinstated it in 2023.
The lawsuit defines appropriate tutoring as small groups of six or fewer students or one-on-one sessions that are aligned with the student's classroom work. It would become available at least three times per week in 30-minute sessions.
One of the plaintiffs, Maritza Gonzalez, said that after all these years, their victory feels like a "step in the right direction." She noted that the lawsuit was about securing support for kids that will help them thrive academically, as per the LA Times.
