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Parents Sue Los Angeles Unified Over How It’s Handling Distance Learning
Vicenta Martinez, who has a second-grade daughter, is one of the parents suing LAUSD. (Screenshot/Worth More LA press conference)
Nine parents are suing the Los Angeles Unified School District and its superintendent Austin Beutner in a class action lawsuit filed today.
In the complaint, the parents – including Black and Latino parents, parents of students with special needs, and parents of students learning English – argue that the district "failed miserably" to provide their students with an equal education when schools closed to slow the spread of coronavirus in the spring, and that the challenges their kids face are continuing this school year.
“In the face of this crisis, and to repair the harm it caused, the LAUSD should have done everything within its power to provide at least basic educational equality for all of its students going forward,” the lawsuit reads. “ Instead … LAUSD exacerbated the crisis, failing to provide the necessary requirements to ensure that all students receive even basic educational equality.”
The parents were brought together by two advocacy organizations, Innovate Public Schools and Parent Revolution.
The families and lawyers announced the lawsuit and shared their experiences at a press conference in downtown Los Angeles this afternoon.
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