LOS ANGELES — In the days leading up to LAUSD return to school this week, teachers and staff across the District made house calls to ensure students’ basic needs are met.

A recent LA Times report revealed nearly half of all LAUSD students were considered chronically absent for most of last school year and that number is even higher in low-income areas like Watts.

There, the principal of the Compton Avenue Elementary STEAM Academy went door-to-door to address the barriers that often prevent her students from making it to class.