LAUSD first-day attendance falls slightly amid immigration, environmental concerns

Los Angeles Unified School District students returned to school Wednesday amid lingering concerns about immigration enforcement and environmental safety, with district officials reassuring families that campuses were safe and ready for the new school year.    

Preliminary district data shows a roughly 90% attendance rate for the first day of school compared with about 92% who attended the first day of school last year. The number was even higher in schools impacted by the June Lineage warehouse fire in Boyle Heights, with about 91% of students attending, despite parents’ concerns.  

In South Los Angeles, middle schoolers in the Barack Obama Global Preparation Academy’s band — comprised of woodwinds, brass and percussion — revisited a piece called “Terracotta” that earned them a “Superior” at an adjudicated festival last year. And at Belvedere Middle School, students geared up for a career technology class that will expose them to professions in nursing, veterinary medicine, engineering, child development and construction. 

Cellphones, prohibited for student use during school hours, were hardly in sight.  

Meanwhile, at Glassell Park Early Education Center, younger children, between 2 and 5 years old, spent their first day building with blocks, examining bugs and making soup with sand. 

For many students in Los Angeles, the first day of school represented a return to normalcy, even as district officials navigate ongoing financial challenges. Superintendent Andrés Chait said that the district would prioritize cuts that don’t involve personnel, and for any layoffs or furloughs to focus on central office staffing, not teachers

“A new school year is a new beginning, a year of new questions, new friendships, new challenges, new opportunities,” Chait said at a press conference on Wednesday. “And after what I saw today, I could not be more optimistic about what lies ahead.”

The first-day attendance figures came as some families remained concerned about lead contamination following the 500,000-square-foot warehouse fire in Boyle Heights and about the ongoing potential for immigration enforcement actions near schools. Though the fire took place in June, the area continues to smell. 

It caused four summer school programs to be relocated, and there are 55 schools within 3 miles of the facility, according to LAist. Concerns about contamination and immigration enforcement were ongoing throughout the summer, and now extend to the academic year.

Welcoming students, teachers and staff back to school, Chait said the district would continue to monitor conditions and advocate for any additional resources following the fire.  

He added that any lead findings have been cordoned off, and noted that the same levels of lead could be found in the area due to its “overindustrialized” nature. 

“Our primary role always is to provide education and academic advancement, but I think we can do more than that,” he said. “And so, what I’ve asked the team to do is to look into exactly that. What is our role? Where can we be an advocate? Where can we be an ally?” 

Board members, alongside Chait, emphasized that LAUSD is open and safe for students and families who are concerned about immigration enforcement actions. Board member Karla Griego said there will be three new centers opening in her board district to “provide resources, guidance and a sense of belonging for students and families navigating the challenges of immigration.” 

“Our message is simple,” she said. “Every student, regardless of background, deserves to be supported, to feel welcomed and to be empowered to succeed.” 

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This story was originally published by EdSource.