Big Sunday held a school supplies giveaway on Aug. 10 to help students succeed when they return to campus. (photo by Edwin Folven)

When students return to Los Angeles Unified School District schools on Monday, Aug. 16, they will experience new measures the district has implemented to ensure health and safety on campus.

Under new state regulations announced on Aug. 11 by Gov. Gavin Newsom, all school employees will be required to be vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing. The governor’s order requires that all school districts comply by Oct. 15.

The LAUSD has taken the requirements further, also mandating that all students have a negative coronavirus test before reentering schools, regardless of vaccination status. On Aug. 13, the district mandated that all employees be vaccinated. All students, teachers, staff and visitors will also be screened for COVID-19 symptoms before entering campuses, and school staff and students will be required to undergo weekly virus testing, regardless of vaccination status. Students over age 12 are encouraged to get vaccinations, and the district is asking parents and family members to voluntarily get vaccinated. Many campuses, including Hollywood High School, will have testing sites, and mobile testing units will be dispatched on a weekly basis to all campuses without permanent testing capabilities.

Also, masks will be required for everyone at all LAUSD campuses, and physical distancing will be enforced as much as possible. LAUSD Board of Education member Nick Melvoin believes the safety measures will ensure a smooth and safe return to campus.

“I’m excited to see so many of our students and families back on campus for full-time, in-person instruction,” Melvoin said. “The best place for our kids right now is in the classroom, and we have the necessary protocols in place to welcome everyone back as safely as possible.”

The district has been holding virtual meetings for parents and students to prepare them for new requirements during the upcoming year, said Melvoin’s spokeswoman Ally Salvaria. Families can call the district’s Family Vaccination Hotline at (213)328-3958 and visit achieve.lausd.net/backtoschool for information.

The district has also outlined other steps that have been taken to ensure safety. New air filtration systems have been installed in all school buildings and supplies including masks and personal protective equipment will be available for distribution. Custodial staff has been increased for extra cleaning.

“We’ve also put together the L.A. Unified Back to School Family Guide for you and your family to learn more about our academic, social, safety plans and requirements for this coming school year,” Interim Superintendent Megan K. Reilly said in a statement. “The most important piece to our return, however, is you. What makes our schools so special are those who bring our campuses to life – our students, families, teachers and school site staff.”

Big Sunday gave away school supplies and collected donations at its headquarters on Melrose Avenue. (photo by Edwin Folven)

To prepare students for their return to campus, the nonprofit Big Sunday held a back to school supplies giveaway on Aug. 10 at its headquarters at 6111 Melrose Ave. Big Sunday collected monetary donations to buy school supplies for approximately 3,000 students.

Schools and nonprofits serving families were invited to pick up backpacks full of pens, pencils, crayons, markers, erasers, notebooks and other necessities. Volunteers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center helped fill backpacks before they were distributed on Tuesday. Many of the schools and organizations receiving supplies are located in underserved neighborhoods, Big Sunday founder and executive director David Levinson said.

“We are giving away 3,000 backpacks to kids at more than 20 different schools and after school programs throughout the city. This is the first time in two years that they are going back to school for a full year, so it’s more important than ever,” Levinson said. “We are so glad we are able to help students and parents. It’s all the stuff they will need.”

The supplies were provided to Windsor Hills Magnet School, Hillcrest Drive Elementary School, Emerson Elementary School, Paseo del Rey Elementary School and Crete Academy, as well as the Union Rescue Mission, Crypto Kids Camp, Allies for Every Child, Impact LA, Girls Inc. of Greater Los Angeles, William R. Anton EEC, Wellnest, Department of Children and Family Services Shelter Care, Aviva Family and Children’s Services, Project Joy, Boys and Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor, East Los Angeles Women’s Center and RTLA Church.

Rachel Axelrad, a teacher at Hillcrest Drive Elementary in the Crenshaw District, collected school supplies on Aug. 10 for 100 students at her campus.

“This allows us to give things to students who otherwise wouldn’t have had these supplies. It puts them in their hands so they can start school with everything they need to really be successful,” Axelrad said. “It makes a pretty big difference. One hundred backpacks [represents] a fifth of our school’s population, so that actually makes a pretty big dent in how we serve them and what we give to them.”

Levinson said Big Sunday will continue efforts to support underserved populations and he encouraged anyone who wants to volunteer to visit bigsunday.org.

“There’s always a need,” he added. “There are always opportunities to help.”