Ruling on another matter on its pandemic docket, the Supreme Court today denied the original writ petition in Alliance for Children’s Rights v. Los Angeles Unified School District that sought, among other things, an order requiring LAUSD to “implement small-cohort in-person instruction to the maximum extent possible (up to 25% of campus capacity), consistent with cohorting guidance issued by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on September 2, 2020 and as required by CAL. EDUC. CODE Sections 43509(f)(1)(A) and 43504(b).”  (Links added.)

The petition asked the court to address the “slow-motion catastrophe” caused by LAUSD and its superintendent “failing to meet their procedural obligations under California law to provide in-person instruction for those who cannot access the education curriculum through distance learning and to provide special education assessments and services to qualified students.”

In September, the court denied two petitions seeking to overturn orders and directives by Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Public Health that limit in-person instruction in California schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.