Today on AirTalk, we do a check-in with Orange County schools as many districts are planning to reopen their doors to in-person classes this week. Also on the show, we check-in with how the Census 2020 count is doing; take a look at couples who've moved back home with their parents; and more.
Some OC Schools Reopen This Week
Starting this week, K-12 schools in Orange County have the green light to welcome students and staff back for in-person instruction.
That’s because the county’s coronavirus case and test positivity rates have put it in the second most restrictive “tier” of the state’s coronavirus framework for two weeks.
Over the summer, when Orange County was still in the first tier on the state’s coronavirus monitoring system -- indicating “widespread” risk of community disease transmission -- schools needed waivers to reopen campuses. Cypress School District and Capistrano Unified had their waivers denied recently due to low support from their teachers and staff.
But that won’t have any bearing on their ability to reopen now that the county’s in the red -- or “substantial” risk of community disease transmission -- tier, according to Orange County Health Care Agency director and county health officer Clayton Chau.
Read the rest of Carla’s story on LAist.com
With guest host Kyle Stokes
Guest:
Carla Javier, KPCC reporter covering education, who’s been following the story; she tweets at
Jerry Almendarez, superintendent of schools for Santa Ana Unified School District; he tweets
Erik Silberman, science teacher at Aliso Niguel High School, part of Capistrano Unified School District, for 20 years and a parent of two students in the district
DOC AMA: FDA Considering New COVID-19 Vaccine Authorization Rules, Early Data Shows Low Virus Spread In Schoolchildren
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, guest host Kyle Stokes speaks with Dr. Dean Blumberg with UC Davis Children’s Hospital.
Topics today include:
FDA considering authorization rules that could push coronavirus vaccine past Election Day
Does wearing glasses protect you From coronavirus?
Huge study of Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine begins
Opening school buildings has not spread the coronavirus, early data shows.
A Labor Day-fueled coronavirus surge? It's still not clear
With guest host Kyle Stokes
Guest:
Dean Blumberg, M.D., professor of medicine and chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UC Davis Children’s Hospital
Survey: Inadequate Resources, Food Insecurity Impacting LA Families And Students
School-age children and their families living in the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Watts, Boyle Heights and South LA are up against enormous challenges exacerbated by the pandemic, according to a new survey. Those challenges include food insecurity, lack of access to computers and a place to do school work and job loss.
The new survey, conducted by USC researchers and the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, found about 30 percent of families had experienced housing insecurity and about 75 percent had faced job loss and food insecurity, the Los Angeles Times reports.
More than a third of the students don’t have access to a place to do their online learning. The survey focused on LA neighborhoods that have been hit hard by the pandemic and received feedback from more than 1,100 families. It only looks at the past spring semester, not accounting for the start of the current one. LAUSD along with other county districts have delayed reopening campuses as an attempt to keep the coronavirus at bay, but that decision could lead to negative consequences for struggling families and students.
Today on AirTalk, we discuss the findings of the survey, how LA county districts have responded to challenges and how schools plan to move forward. We also welcome listener thoughts. Have you experienced any of these challenges throughout the pandemic? Join the conversation by calling 866-893-5722.
With guest host Kyle Stokes
Guests:
Ryan Smith, chief external officer at Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, which conducted the survey; they are an independent nonprofit organization that works with the Los Angeles Unified School District to manage a network of district schools in Boyle Heights, Watts and South L.A.
Debra Duardo, Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools; she tweets
Checking In On The 2020 Census Following Tuesday Hearing On When Counting Will End
If you’re following the Census, and you’ve been confused about exactly when the count ends, you’re probably not alone. As KPCC and LAist reporter covering the Census Caroline Champlin reported this month, the timeline has jumped around several times since the start of the pandemic.
Official counting for the 2020 Census was originally slated to end on July 31, but in April the Census Bureau pushed the deadline back to October 31st to give them extra time to finish the count amid the extra challenges the COVID-19 pandemic presented. Then, in August, the Bureau did a 180 and announced it would conclude counting on September 30th instead. That led to several cities, Los Angeles among them, filing lawsuits against the Trump administration pressing for the deadline to be shifted back to the end of October. A federal judge in Northern California heard arguments in one of those suits Tuesday following a hearing on a similar lawsuit in Maryland on Monday.
Today on AirTalk, we’ll get an update on what happened in this week’s hearings on when the Census count will end, look at how Census advocates and enumerators in Southern California are working to make sure everyone is counted before the deadline and find out what this year’s count could mean for Southern California’s Congressional representation.
With guest host Kyle Stokes
Guest:
Caroline Champlin, reporter covering the 2020 Census for KPCC and LAist; she tweets
Pandemic Leads To Uptick In Adult Couples Moving In With Parents
Living with a partner is usually a rite of passage, allowing a person to “start a family.” With COVID-19 changing the dynamics of our economy it has also had an effect on our households, making multigenerational living now a new norm for plenty of people.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the pandemic has pushed many adults to move back home with their parents. Reasons range from financial difficulties to the desire to maintain closer familial bonds. The Wall Street Journal goes on to detail the life of a couple transitioning into a multigenerational household, chronicling their new living dynamics and how they serve as a benefit for the short and long term. They are just one of many people who have made the move to living with other relatives. According to the Pew Research Center, multigenerational living has been on the rise in recent years. Among many minority groups, particularly Latino and Asian households, multigenerational living is already common practice. But given the circumstances of the pandemic, we can expect to see the number of multigenerational households grow.
Today on AirTalk, we talk about this growing lifestyle in the United States and its socioeconomic implications. Are you a couple now living with your parents? How has your living situation affected your familial relationships? Have you maintained the same level of independence or felt you’ve lost any freedoms? Comment below or give us a call at 866-893-5722.
With guest host Kyle Stokes
Guests:
Rachel Feintzeig, work and life columnist for the Wall Street Journal; she tweets
Jennie E. Brand, professor of sociology at UCLA; director of the California Center for Population Research
A Lesser Known Figure In RBG’s Origin Story: President Jimmy Carter
Although Ruth Bader Ginsburg was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton, there’s another President who played a role in her origin story: Jimmy Carter.
President Carter appointed RBG to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit though she wasn’t a prosecutor for a big law firm at the time. Professor Michele Goodwin of UCI argues that Carter’s appointments of women into the federal court system was an important move which positioned women into the judiciary system’s pipeline. We discuss that history and also talk about the Democrats and Republican’s court appointment strategies since.
With guest host Kyle Stokes.
Guest:
Michele Goodwin, chancellor’s professor of law and director of the Center for Biotechnology and Global Health Policy at the University of California, Irvine and author of multiple books, her latest is “Policing The Womb: Invisible Women and the Criminalization of Motherhood” (Cambridge, February 2020) she tweets