Some families are suing California for failure to educate students who are low-income and of color. Children who are in low-income families have been struggling for a while now, but the COVID-19 pandemic may have brought a lot more issues to lights. Parents are trying to make sure their children get the access to education, but it seems to be an uphill climb and some of them are starting to push back to make sure their children have the same opportunities as every other child.
According to Today, families of 15 public school students filed a lawsuit on Monday, November 30 against California. Their claim is that the state has not provided equal education to “poor and minority children” during this pandemic.
The students all range in age, from kindergarten to high school and they were not provided devices and internet connections so that they could attend school online. This is concerning, because these students do not have the option to be in school when it means they safety and health may be at risk. This is the first lawsuit of its kind in the US.
The children in question attend schools in Oakland and Los Angeles, and many were described in the lawsuit as “Black and Latinos.” Another aspect of the lawsuit claims that the students’ academic and mental health support were not met as well. What the lawsuit is asking for is that the court declares that California education officials have violated the state’s constitution guarantee of “educational equality.”
They also want them to fix tall the problems that they have highlighted. California is the state with the highest population, and when the pandemic started, they closed all of their schools. Now, many of the districts have been unable to meet the needs of students.
According to Politico, the families are saying that the state has left it all up to the districts and teachers to figure it all out on their own. That California has not provided any guidance or assistance. They also state that parents have been left to pay for their own supplies or try and figure out how their child can do their work when they do not have access to a computer or a Wi-Fi connection.
There has also been a lack of support for parents, who have now had to take on many roles and they are largely unprepared when it comes to training or financial ability to afford what their children need for school.