LOS ANGELES — Getting four boys to settle down and learn something in the spring was a struggle for LAUSD mom Vicky Martinez.

“It was hard. They had meltdowns – so did I – but we got through it,” Martinez said Monday as she participated in a “national day of resistance” to fight for more equity in distance learning.

What You Need To Know

  • The teachers' union, UTLA, and LAUSD officials came to a tentative agreement Monday on distance learning in the fall

  • The agreement says union members cannot be required to physically return to campus until campuses official reopen

  • During a "national day of resistance," parents advocated for more support from the district

  • In Watts, the non-profit Children Mending Hearts is creating a safe space for children to learn

Martinez said she can’t afford to hire a private tutor to keep her boys on task, not that she would want to anyway.

“No, absolutely not. It’s unfortunate because that brings a greater equity gap and I don’t support those. The district should provide something across the board,” Martinez said.

On Monday, the teachers' union, UTLA, and LAUSD officials came to a tentative agreement on distance learning in the fall. The agreement says union members cannot be required to physically return to campus until campuses officially reopen.

Ten miles away in Watts, the same issue was weighing on the mind of Kelsey Pete as she sorted books by reading level at the Watts Empowerment Center in Imperial Courts. Pete works for the non-profit Children Mending Hearts. Usually she’s in the classroom teaching empathy, but now she’s focused on creating a safe space for kids to learn.

“We’ve got our work cut out for us,” Pete said.

Trying to follow CDC guidelines is a headache – the media room needs to be completely revamped so computers can be spaced six feet apart. Kids who may not have internet at home will be able to come in shifts. They hope to reach as many as 50 kids a day.

“More than a third of the people who live in this neighborhood are children, which is a huge amount of kids running around,” Pete said.

The gym will also be turned into a makeshift computer room to fit more work stations. The non-profit is looking for tutors to work in shifts.

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It won’t be perfect, but it will at least give children a place to go. “You do what you can and if you can’t do everything, you at least do something,” Pete said.

“You just have to roll with the punches,” Martinez said.

Martinez will be keeping her boys home with her in Highland Park. They’ll be fine. She’s fighting for other kids in LAUSD who, she says, have a right to learn.