Nearly 500,000 students in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) will return to school this Monday, beginning the 2023-24 school year, which Superintendent Alberto Carvalho says will focus on accelerating the success of every student.
“A new school year is coming, and with that, there is a golden opportunity, a renewed opportunity to change the lives of our students, of each one of them,” Carvalho said during his recent back-to-school speech.
During his speech, he said that the new school year will be “focused on accelerating academic success.”
Both on transportation and on campus, safety will be a priority in the 2023-24 school year, LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said.
“The Los Angeles Unified School District will never stop putting the needs of our students first,”’ he said. “There is nothing more important. That is our sacred mission. It is our charge. It is our hope, it is our dream, it is our devotion. In fact, we are doubling down on our promise to make the Los Angeles Unified School District the leading urban school district of choice in the country.”
Prior to the start of school, Carvalho spent time last week visiting students’ homes to encourage them to attend classes in an annual effort to reduce absenteeism and catch up with students left behind during the COVID-19 pandemic. .
The superintendent said the district will start the school year with all teaching staff. The district earlier this year reached new contract agreements with teachers and school staff. The agreements followed a three-day strike organized by staff, supported by teachers, that closed the district’s schools.
While the contracts were ratified, another dispute arose when the district initially proposed shortening the 2023-24 winter break to make up for lost instructional time.
The unions challenged the measure, saying it was never negotiated, and the district relented and will hold a three-week winter recess, starting Dec. 18 and running through Jan. 5.
There is also a renewed focus on safety this school year.
Thousands of LAUSD students will start the new school year on Monday, August 14, and parents did their last bit of school shopping on Sunday night.
“We must do more to make Los Angeles students and their families feel and stay safe,” said Mayor Karen Bass.
“I am working with Superintendent Carvalho to ensure we confront and address the motor vehicle tragedies, substance abuse and other incidents we have seen near and in our schools.”
Carvalho stressed the importance of the effort.
“Last year, our students and families faced unsafe crosswalks to and from our campuses, with some sustaining injuries and others losing their lives,” he said. “Walking to school should not become a traumatic experience for our students.”
The return to school has become a strong blow to the pockets of parents.
The district has hired several school patrol officers, reaching the highest number in at least a decade, according to LAUSD.
The Los Angeles Department of Transportation has created additional Slow Speed School Zones at 45 schools, using 576 signs to reduce speed limits; has made street improvements, including installing speed bumps at 28 schools.
The Los Angeles Police Department’s Office of Community Safety Partnership recently launched a pilot program for students, parents, and school personnel that focuses on the harms and risks associated with drugs, specifically fentanyl.
The program includes educating staff on the functionality and proper use of Narcan.
The last day of the school year will be June 11, 2024.
