The Mirror | Van Nuys High School | March 2021 | Volume 107 |Issue 3

T O R Y | theMIRROR
As schools plan to reopen,
students and teachers prepare
to jump back into old
routines that now have a
twist. Although masks and
social distancing will be
enforced, hybrid learning
seems to be the first step
to returning to traditional
classrooms.
After over a year of Zoom glitches and
poor internet connectivity, LAUSD is
scheduled to open its doors to in-person
learning for high school students
in late April.
With Los Angeles County’s covid-19
cases decreasing, the county has moved into the less-restrictive
red tier as of March 15, permitting partial reopening
of businesses and schools.
Parents who opt for the hybrid-learning model may send
their children to school, but they will be following standard
safety guidelines. Masks must be worn while in the classroom
and on school grounds (except when eating or drinking),
while waiting to enter campus and when leaving.
Students and teachers will be subject to daily health
checks which will be conducted using the Daily Pass, an
online tool created by LAUSD that coordinates health
checks, COVID-19 tests and vaccinations together in one
app. The app also allows students to schedule covid-19
tests and receive the test results.
While it is still to be determined how often students will
need to be tested for covid-19, Principal Yolanda Gardea
projects every two weeks. Teachers, on the other hand, will
be tested once a week. Testing will not be available on-site
but the Daily Pass app will help to schedule available appointments
at nearby locations.
As recommended by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC), students will be grouped in cohorts,
each in a specific building on campus. A cohort is a distinct
group that stays together throughout the entire school day
to limit mixing between students and staff to help prevent
the spread of the virus.
Students will be grouped based on their Advisory period,
either H or L, and will remain in the classroom with
their Advisory teacher.
Mondays will alternate between Advisory H and L,
Tuesdays and Thursdays will be Advisory H only and
Wednesdays and Fridays will be Advisory L only. This
alternating schedule will give students taking advantage
of the hybrid-learning model an opportunity to meet inperson
two to three times a week.
The class schedule will remain the same for both the
hybrid-learning and online-only models.
The most debated aspect of a return to in-person learning
among students and teachers is the absence of direct
teaching. This decision, along with teachers returning only
after they have received the covid-19 vaccine and have had
enough time for maximum immunity to take effect, was a
part of the negotiation reached between the United Teachers
Los Angeles (UTLA) and the District to ensure teachers’
Back to the BASICS: Continued on p.12
What do teachers
think about returning
to the classroom?
We asked a few:
Ms. Wanda Moore
Social Science Teacher
How do you feel about schools reopening?
Part of me is excited and I am a little nervous.
I’ve taught for over 30 years and it still
feels like a new experience so I am definitely
nervous.
Do you feel like the district’s approach to
reopening schools is safe for teachers?
I don’t spend time thinking about things
that are beyond my control. I haven’t
thought about it a lot, I’d have to see the actual
classroom set up and how it’s going to
look before I would feel comfortable giving
an answer. Basically we are told what to do.
Since I don’t have any control over it I’ll just
deal with the situation as I find it but I’m not
terribly worried about my safety. I am thankful
that the district is providing sites that are
closeby to get a vaccine. I am actually in the
process right now. I’m so glad I don’t have to
make that decision. I should be vaccinated
and fully protected by the time that school
reopens.
Ms. Kyrie Martin
Math Teacher
How do you feel about schools reopening?
I would be excited to teach in-person having
been vaccinated. This plan is much less
palatable with the Zoom rooms.
Do you feel like the district’s approach to
reopening schools is safe for teachers?
I feel safe but I understand if parents don’t.
I have to return if I want to keep my job,
which I do.
Ms. Diana Fuhrman
Science Teacher
How do you feel about schools reopening?
I’ve been really wanting school to open. I
was really convinced that we would be sitting
in a classroom right now with everybody
vaccinated and it just didn’t happen
that way. I wrote in a survey I would go back
if everyone was vaccinated. We’re all social
creatures that need to be in the classroom
but I don’t want a health risk. I understand
that some people need to be in the classroom
because the discipline and not being
distracted by other things that are at home
but right now I’m not quite ready.
Do you feel like the district’s approach to
reopening schools is safe for teachers?
If everybody is vaccinated then yes, but not
everybody is vaccinated. If I can’t instruct
you then I don’t see the point of me going
back into a classroom just to do what I’m
doing right here and being safe. I know I
can be safe here at home and if I’m not
able to instruct you and all of you are just
in my room for me to just babysit or watch
you, I’m not a fan of that. So for me I do not
think it’s a safe endeavor to have a class full
of kids. I know they’re wearing their masks,
which is a good thing but I’m not a hundred
percent confident.
he BASICS
OR-IN-CHIEF
MIAN