What Does It Take To Get A School Reopening Waiver In LA County?

Los Angeles County remains in the state’s most restrictive reopening tier, which means K-12 schools in the county still cannot reopen their doors and welcome everybody back to campus just yet.

But, starting today, there’s a new way to get the county’s youngest learners back to school for in-person instruction: schools can apply for waivers from the rules that prevent them from bringing all students back to campus.

There are some catches, though:

• Any waivers granted will only apply to pre-K through second grade classes.
• The county is approaching this slowly, which means it’ll only grant 30 waivers per week.
• Schools with high percentages of low-income students who qualify for free and reduced price lunch will be “prioritized” in the process.
• It could take public health officials up to three weeks to review applications.

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“If we do this well, even if there's a higher rate of transmission in some of our neighborhoods, we shouldn't see that translate to a lot of spread in our schools,” said County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer. “That's why the students are cohorted to prevent this from becoming a schoolwide outbreak, and that's why infection control and distancing requirements are really stringent in schools.”

READ THE FULL STORY, INCLUDING THE APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS AND HOW THEY’LL BE ENFORCED:

• Here's How LA County Schools Can Be Considered For A Coveted Reopening Waiver

READ MORE OF OUR COVERAGE OF THE REOPENING OF SCHOOLS:

• LA County Schools Can Now Apply For Waivers To Reopen Schools For Youngest Kids
• LA County Schools Are Making Plans To Reopen Campuses For Small Groups
• Who's Applying For School Reopening Waivers in Southern California?
• K-12 Schools In Orange County Are Now Allowed To Welcome Back Students
• As Schools Reopen In Orange County, Who’s Making Sure They’re Doing It Safely?

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