Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino spoke highly of former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley at the National League of Cities summit on Nov. 23. (photo by Branimir Kvartuc)

Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino, 15th District, on Feb. 9 introduced a motion seconded by Councilman Gil Cedillo, 1st District, asking the Los Angeles City Attorney to explore all legal options to assist in reopening Los Angeles Unified School District schools. The district has not held in-person classes since March 13, 2020.

“We can and should immediately open schools with the legally allowable 25% student capacity with the goal of fully reopening our schools safely and soon,” Buscaino said. “As public officials, we owe it to our communities to stop finding reasons to keep schools closed and start finding ways to reopen safely, so that children can get back to the classroom and get the quality education they desperately need.

“Since announcing plans for this lawsuit last week, we’ve already seen movement in a positive direction. The governor is prioritizing this issue and is taking more active steps toward encouraging reopening, and LAUSD has been responsive as well. It is very encouraging to see momentum toward finalizing a plan to reopen our schools safely, and we need that momentum to continue,” Buscaino added.

On Twitter, LAUSD Board of Education member Nick Melvoin, 4th District, said parents and students “deserve more than political theater” and that “every public official is … prioritizing a safe return to campus.”

“The levels of COVID in L.A. have never come down enough for us to legally reopen schools per state law. That’s incredibly disappointing and frustrating, and L.A. needs to do better,” Melvoin wrote. “A lawsuit won’t get those numbers down, and I hope others will join us in our advocacy to put schools before shopping malls, to prioritize teachers and other school staff for vaccines, and to get the state to finally clarify what is needed for schools to reopen … I have been pushing and will continue to push for the district to resume the one-on-one and small-group, in-person support for high need students and child care that we offered in the fall and that we can currently offer per county public health guidelines.”

“I know our public schools well. My dad was a public school teacher, principal and volunteer for 60 years, my kids were educated by the LAUSD and I’ve worked closely with the district on issues from literacy to school safety,” Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer added. “We all understand how urgently important it is to reopen our schools, and to do so safely. The best way to achieve these shared goals is to work together, not as adversaries. I will help in any way I can.”