Latinos May Face Long-Term Homeschooling in California

By Neil P. Mar 22 2020, 06:55 AM EDT

Gov. Gavin Newsom of California has announced that the schools in the state may remain close until the end of the school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic according to a recently published article.

COVID-19 IN CALIFORNIA

The state of California is one of the states in the country in the country that is hit by COVID-19. At present, there are more than 1,200 cases of individuals who are positive for the virus while the death toll has reached to 23 as of March 21.

The COVID-19 pandemic cases in the state continue to rise and this led Gov. Newsom to close non-essential establishments in an attempt to slow down the transmission of the virus. The set guidelines of Gov. Newsom is in accordance with the guidelines set by Pres. Trump which was released recently.

The following are the establishments that were temporarily shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic according to a recently published article:

Dine-in restaurants
Bars and nightclubs
Entertainment venues
Gyms and fitness studios
Public events and gatherings
Convention centers
Hair and nail salons

While schools were not indicated in the list, schools across the state decided to close. This is part of their move to protect their students from the deadly and infectious virus.

LATINOS IN CALIFORNIA

Califonia has more than 39 million Hispanics and Latinos living in the state. Nearly 40 percent of this population is composed of K-12 students.

Latino parents were surprised after Gov. Newsom announced that schools may remain close until the end of the school year. This means that parents will be homeschooling their children for the rest of the remaining days before summer.

This will lead students to so-called distance learning or sometimes called e-learning where students will have online classes.

REACTION OF PARENTS

One of the parents David De Leon who has an 8th-grader son was shocked after the announcement of Gov.Newsom. He said: "I don't know if it's viable. To throw it out for everyone to use until the end of the school year I think is unreasonable."

Another parent Filiberto Gonzales said that his three children have been in touch with their teachers through an online platform for an hour to four hours a day to supplement their physical class. However, the transition towards distance learning is difficult for him and his three children.

He also added: "This whole process started with OK, we're going to be away from school for two weeks, take this material with you, here's a Chromebook. The news that came yesterday was a real shock to a lot of us."

Some parents also said that need to wake up in regular hours because the e-classes of their children are scheduled on the same regular days.

However, the "grab and go" stations that distribute breakfasts and lunches to the eligible students are still operating and this will still be provided by the local districts.

The move of Gov. Newsom to close the schools while the virus is still around and not contained or mitigated will help the students, teachers, and other personnel not to be infected by the virus.