LAUSD students return to classrooms, but some were met with long lines to get on campus
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Hundreds of thousands of LAUSD students returned to classrooms Monday, but some were met with long lines as they arrived on campus due to an extended process of verifying required COVID-19 tests.
While the year will be a stark contrast to 2020, when all learning was done remotely, the district returns to full in-person instruction in the shadow of growing concerns about the highly infectious Delta variant of COVID-19 that has sent L.A. County case numbers and hospitalizations soaring in recent weeks.
Apart from wearing masks, all students and staff are required to undergo weekly COVID testing before they return to campus, regardless of their vaccination status.
That's verified through the Daily Pass app, which also allows students or parents or quickly report any health issues.
AIR7 HD was over North Hollywood High School where students could be seen forming long lines outside as they waited to be screened and get inside their school.
Many parents took to social media to complain about long delays on campuses, while others said they simply didn't know how to use the system, which caused further delays.
A district spokesperson told Eyewitness News that despite the delays, the Daily Pass app was up and running but was just operating slowly on the first day of class.
To mark the first day back for the district, interim Superintendent Megan K. Reilly visited Normont Elementary School in Harbor City.
"I'm just thinking about... having kids back in school and what a wonderful, wonderful experience this is," she said.
While the year will be a stark contrast to 2020, when all learning was done remotely, the district returns to full in-person instruction in the shadow of growing concerns about the highly infectious Delta variant of COVID-19 that has sent L.A. County case numbers and hospitalizations soaring in recent weeks.
With school back in session and the first round of COVID-19 tests done, periodic testing will be conducted during the school day at select campuses by mobile teams. Tests are free and results come back in 12 hours.
Many district families flocked to some of those locations over the weekend to get the test done.
One parent told Eyewitness News she was nervous about her child heading back to class, but understands returning is inevitable.
"They feel like they're being made to go and I hate to say it, but they are," said Pebbles Collier. "But I think we all have to be prepared to move on...As long as they get COVID tests every week, we should be able to go along with the flow."
Meanwhile, all LAUSD employees must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 15, or face possible termination without an approved medical or religious exemption.
The LAUSD is the second-largest school district in the nation, behind only New York.
Though the majority of LAUSD students will go back for in-person instruction, the district says about 12,500 students opted for online learning this semester - that's only 3% of the district's student enrollment.
City News Service contributed to this report.
