LAUSD Parent and School Aide Says Her School Will Be Safe For Students

Irma Villalpando (right) with Speak UP’s Lenny Schouten at a pre-pandemic Peace Walk in Southeast L.A.

Irma Villalpando is the mother of two students at LAUSD’s MaCES (Maywood Center for Enriched Studies) in Southeast Los Angeles, an area hit hard by COVID. She is also a school supervision aide at the school, so her position on school reopening is not simple. She says she feels safe working at the school campus since she returned a few months ago, and she believes the safety protocols have been in place long enough for a safe return. 

However, Irma does not plan to send her own two kids in 9th and 11th grade back, not because she thinks it’s unsafe. But by the time high schools reopen, she believes the school year will be almost over, and she’s worried about disrupting her kids’ AP classes and exams by making such a huge change at that critical time so late in the year. Instead, she plans to use the next couple of months preparing her daughters for the “new normal” in school and focusing on finishing the school year with good grades.

Villalpando is optimistic that things will get better, and we will overcome this pandemic, so her hope is that her two daughters can return to school safely next school year. Here are Villalpando’s responses to the questions many parents have on their minds right now, as schools prepare to potentially reopen for early grades next month.

Speak UP: What’s your main concern about kids, including your daughters, returning to campus?

There are a lot of doubts. We, [parents], still need a lot more information about how things are going to look. When the kids go from class to class, when they enter the classroom, etc. They [schools] have not answered our questions. They’re [school staff] not sure about many things.

I think it’s going to be a lot of work getting them ready to follow guidelines. I go and get tested once a week. I have to follow the guidelines, making sure that we get our temperature checked, that we don't have any other symptoms...They're saying that they're going to have that procedure for every child, every student who goes to school. So, I'm thinking this is going to be a lot more work, for the parents to make sure they have an appointment and then to get it done,  to help them go a little early because they're not going to be allowed onto the campus until the screening process gets done for each student. They're working on making sure that students all have a Daily Pass [a phone app the district is launching]. If most of the students are able to get that pass, they can just show it and they're allowed to go in. So, the process will be a little faster, but we haven't tried it. We don't have it in place yet. 

Both of my daughters are in high school. They're taking honors classes or AP classes, and we've talked about that. We felt that instead of spending that time [following protocols], they can be at home studying, preparing for their AP tests they will be taking in early May. They would rather continue at home without having to worry about all that. 

I also wonder if they are both going to be on the same schedule. As a mother, I'm thinking, am I going to have one at home and one at school, and I have to go to work? So I have a lot of questions. Right now we've kind of made it work. We have our schedule. They’re having that extra time to study and review [assignments] and not having to worry about that additional [safety] procedure. We're thinking of just finishing up the year here. 

SU: How safe have you been feeling at the campus?

I feel safe. I’ve been seeing those [safety] procedures getting in place. Starting this week, we’re continuing to go in every day, the staff, so hopefully we will get some practice within the next few weeks on what the procedures are. That we’re clear on all the things that need to happen before students come back. We hope that the classroom has been arranged so only a certain number of students can be in the classroom with the teacher. We have the signs, the one-way-only halls, one door out, one door in, the restrooms have been arranged with appropriate cleaning supplies, and we’ll make sure that is happening every single day.

SU: How do you feel about those parents that are demanding for schools to reopen now?

I agree with parents that feel [schools] are ready [to reopen], in that aspect of safety, because they have had the testing and the [safety] procedures in place for several months now. I agree with many parents that have students who do need that one-on-one. I, as a supervision aide, I was ready to be there in school to support any students who needed that extra help or needed that tutoring, who needed that one-on-one. That's what I felt. Back in November and December, we were getting ready for that. And by now, I’m hoping that we would be ready to take on a larger group of students. Back then we were only allowed to work very few hours. I was only going in like once a week. So there were not too many staff members on campus at once. 

SU: Do you think we need to vaccinate all teachers fully before schools can reopen?

Definitely, teachers should be prioritized to get the vaccine. I hear that there are several teachers who do want, or would like to get vaccinated before they go back, and I think that should be a personal decision, if others think they are ready [to go back now]. They should also feel that we have their back. All the staff who would like to start working full time in school already, they should be priority. Because, you know, I have been going to school, doing a few hours of my job. So we haven't been told, “don't come to work,” or “you're not allowed to work,” and as you have seen, we continue working. Of course, in my case I wanted to be back. But let's say you have a reason why you would not [want to go back], the [schools is] being very flexible. Myself, I feel safe going in. 

SU: What would you like the community to know about returning to schools? Given the fact that you work at a school.

We can return in a safe manner. Like with me at school, we’ve gotten some training to know what is expected, what the guidelines are, what is our routine when we have a guest on school grounds. We've been following that. People are now required to follow certain procedures. And I feel [we should put] it into practice as soon as possible [with students], instead of keeping our children at home. Like, my daughters don’t go out that much. I have to make sure they don’t forget to wear their masks, don't forget to keep their distance, because they have very little practice. With practice, if they continue to do that, going back to school, going to a regular routine or having somewhat of a regular safety routine, gradually, slowly, they'll start getting more comfortable [back] in school.

SU: What do you think about UTLA voting on a refusal to return to campus?

It's very upsetting. I keep hearing the union saying our children are first. I don't see that. With small groups, I feel they could have [reopened] a long time ago. I feel they’re putting their own personal needs ahead of our children. I have been there, and I feel safe. We have been doing this for six months. A lot of our students and children, their parents have to go to work. Students who are not [supervised], they are out, they get together. They're gathering in large groups. No one's monitoring them.

SU: So you think they would actually be safer in a controlled school environment?

In my opinion, and from what parents have been telling me, yes, I do agree they are more prone to get infected being at home, not being allowed to go to school.