By Mary O’KEEFE

Congressman Adam Schiff toured Balboa Elementary School in Glendale a few days prior to students returning to class on March 29 to see the preparations made by school staff to make certain the school was ready for in-person learning.

Principal Sona Arakelyan was joined on the tour by several members of the Glendale Unified School District including Superintendent Vivian Ekchian and school board president Dr. Armina Gharpetian.

The District had already established student “pods” at the school for a small number of students but more children in grades transitional kindergarten through second grade were expected to return to in-person learning on March 29.

Earlier in March, Los Angeles County moved from purple tier to red tier, allowing school districts to open to more in-person learning. (On April 5, the county will move from the red tier to the orange tier.) At a March meeting the GUSD board of education voted to offer in-person learning for elementary school students.

For teachers and staff, all have been offered the COVID-19 vaccine thanks to the District’s partnership with local hospitals and Walgreens. Everyone who would like a vaccine can get one, Ekchian said.

She added that a survey of District staff found that about 75% said they were interested in getting the vaccine; reasons some gave for not receiving the shot were that they had recently had COVID-19 and would have to wait while others just wanted to wait.

During the tour Principal Arkelyan pointed out how much work had been done to prepare for students returning to classrooms. She pointed out technology that will allow educators to teach students both in person and online. Students who want to remain in virtual studies can do so and will be viewed on a monitor by the teacher to so they can participate in classroom discussions.

This new type of teaching is challenging but the teachers interviewed for this article all said they were up for that challenge.

“I like being back. I am ready to have that sense of normalcy,” said Balboa Elementary sixth grade teacher Narine Yatundjian. “I love what I do and am excited to see some of the students in person. The kids are so excited; even seeing us in the classroom [excited them]. They can see that we are back, and they feel more connected.”

Schiff toured one classroom where he could see the plastic screens installed on the students’ desks and how students would be spaced six feet apart. He asked about air filters and was told that the HEPA filters were on constantly and classrooms were arranged so windows and doors could be opened for cross ventilation.

Many of the items that were added to protect students, teachers and staff were funded by the federal government through the CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security] Act and new funding from the recently passed American Rescue Plan. During the tour both Arkelyan and Ekchian pointed out items that had been purchased with the help of federal funds.

Schiff said he wanted to visit the school to see how the District was planning to reopen and what safety precautions had been taken to ensure there was a safe learning environment for students, teachers, administrators and staff.

“I know parents are eager to have their kids back in school and a lot of parents are deeply concerned. Now there will be an option of having your kid in school or continue remote learning,” he said. “We have been providing a lot of funding through Congress to help schools reopen so my reason for coming is to see how that funding is being utilized to make sure that schools can reopen safely.”

CVW was also able to tour Lincoln Elementary School and saw how the staff had prepared that school for a return to in-person learning. Similar to other schools in the District, all classrooms have an heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system as well as a HEPA system. There were also doors and windows that opened allowing cross ventilation.

Students returning to school are separated into two separate “stable” groups: A and B. One group will attend in-person school Monday and Tuesday and the other group will attend in person Thursday and Friday with Wednesdays being a deep cleaning day.

There was great attention given to keeping students six feet apart in the classroom, and they will also be monitored during playground time. The drinking fountains have been replaced with hand washing stations, and every other stall in the bathroom has been closed to allowing appropriate distancing. 

“I am impressed,” Schiff said of his tour at Balboa. “It is a Herculean challenge to adapt to this pandemic but various precautions are being taken in terms of the social distancing and HVAC systems and HEPA filters. I think these are the safeguards that need to be put in place to give parents and teachers the confidence knowing it is a safe working environment.”