Fear Is A ‘Norm’ During LAUSD Student Count (And Other Headlines)

Why do some teachers at L.A. Unified schools end up leaving more than a month into the academic year?

This is the result of “Norm Day,” a longstanding approach to counting students. It has rankled parents and educators for decades.

The problem with 'Norm'

The history of Norm Day is described as deceptively complicated with tangible consequences. My colleague Mariana Dale wrote about its physical and mental effects on school administrators, teachers and students. Atwater Avenue Elementary School students recently got a first-hand look at how the policy could change their school.

“I'm a huge supporter and proponent of my kids going to public school, but frankly policies like Norm Day make the public school system in L.A. feel a bit unstable,” said Daniel Addelson, who has two children at the Atwater Village school.

LAUSD has yet to provide the district-wide totals from this year’s Norm Day count, though the results have already re-shaped some schools. But when students at Atwater Avenue Elementary were on the verge of losing teachers, parents found a way to advocate for a change. Read more here. 

Stay safe and cool, L.A. There’s more news below — just keep reading.

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More news

(After you stop hitting snooze)

• After months of picketing, SAG-AFTRA said it’s finally come to a deal to end the strike with the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
• The Los Angeles City Council has voted to ban overnight RV parking along certain streets in West and South L.A.
• A new report finds a majority of working Californians between the ages of 16 and 24 are earning low wages, and many can't afford basic living expenses.

• New podcast episode: In the third episode of Imperfect Paradise: People vs. Karen, Katie Sorensen's criminal case heads to trial. The Sonoma County district attorney argues that Sorensen was an aspiring influencer who fabricated a sensational story to go viral. Will a jury find her guilty? Listen to the episode or catch up on episode 1 and episode 2.
• The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to allow landlords to raise rents up to 4% in rent-controlled units in the unincorporated parts of the county through June 2024.
• ICYMI: The L.A. County Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved a $700,000 settlement with LAist correspondent Josie Huang, who was arrested and injured by sheriff’s deputies while covering a 2020 protest in Lynwood. The settlement includes a requirement that the L.A. County Sheriff's Department re-train deputies on the rights of journalists.

Wait... one more thing

A look at the Woolsey Fire, five years later

A power line catches fire as the Woolsey fire burns on both sides of Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1) in Malibu, California, as night falls on November 9, 2018.

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Robyn Beck

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AFP

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In 2018, the Woolsey Fire was an “unstoppable monster” that burned 97,000 acres across the Santa Monica Mountains, killed three people and destroyed more than 1600 structures.

And despite the fall season, we are still on fire weather watch as we enter a period of higher temperatures and more Santa Ana winds. How To LA host Brian De Los Santos talked with science reporter Jacob Margolis about what happened that made the Woolsey Fire so destructive and what we learned from it. Listen to the episode.