LOS ANGELES - A public policy think tank is providing California parents and their school-aged children alternatives to overcome delays in remote learning as the state grapples with COVID-19 social distancing. After Gov. Gavin Newsom issued guidelines for online learning as a way to prevent spreading coronavirus, the California Teachers Association (CTA) began questioning the conditions of teachers working from home, according to media reports.
“The union is concerned that some students may have better access to broadband connections than others,” said Jordan Bruneau, communications director with California Policy Center (CPC). “These excuses are a slap in the face when you have healthcare workers risking their lives daily at a difficult time.”
CTA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“It may be a union stall tactic to gain another week off from work for the teachers or to use as a bargaining tactic to increase their rate of pay,” Bruneau told the Southern California Record in an interview. “There are probably a handful of students who don’t have internet or have a slow connection but the school district has resources to address these technical inequities.”
Most of the state’s 6.3 million students are quarantined at home since the outbreak of COVID-19, according to CPC.
“The State of California is working around the clock to help those districts and provide best practices to ensure no kid is left behind,” said Gov. Newsom in a statement online.
Parent Union, a project of CPC, is informing parents on how to access free student resources in an attempt to salvage the school year and prevent cancellation.
“We’ve been providing advice, tips and bringing experts by Zoom and Facebook Live to parents so that they can be informed and empowered to approach teachers and principals about tools to educate their kids,” said Cecilia Iglesias, president of Parent Union.
One of the resources available to parents and their school-aged children is one-on-one tutoring through Varsity Tutors.
"Our goal is to ensure that kids continue to learning despite the COVID-19 outbreak," said Iglesias. "We will not stop connecting parents with resources."