LOS ANGELES — Fun is what students are having in Monica Hernandez’s second grade dual immersion class at Rorimer Elementary School. But students sitting “criss-cross apple sauce” with all of their friends in a colorful classroom was not the case five years ago.

“It was scary. I just remember being rushed. Students might be out of school for two weeks. I needed to get them books, reading books, math books,” Hernandez said.

What You Need To Know

  • Rowland Unified School District added more counselors and went from two social workers to five during the pandemic

  • The district was at 97% attendance before the pandemic
  • Over the last five years, the district has been able to build back its attendance to 95%

Hernandez was a kindergarten teacher during the COVID-19 pandemic and said that the pandemic turned her world upside down.

“We just needed to get everything they needed every day, and that was in itself, ‘Wow, that was a big ordeal,’” Hernandez said.

Hernandez and teachers around the country had to transition to online learning.

Rowland Unified School District Superintendent Alex Flores said that another change in the district, that is still being implemented, is a larger emphasis on mental health awareness.

“It really exposed that there are mental health challenges and issues with our students, that were there before as well. But you have to remember during COVID, some of our students were afraid and scared of living and their family members of living too and it brought a lot of fear, a lot of isolation,” Flores said.

The district added more counselors and went from two social workers to five during the pandemic.

“It was very challenging working where we’re learning about COVID and the impact it had on our students, so many unanswered questions. But we knew we had to keep our students safe and always our priority,” Flores said.

At the same time, many things went back to normal, the way they were before the pandemic.

“Our students are present and in place and learning. The best place to learn is in our classrooms,” Flores said.

But Flores said the district is still dealing with building up its in-person attendance numbers.

Before the pandemic, Rowland Unified School District was at 97% attendance. Over the last five years, the district has been able to build back its attendance to 95%.

“All of our teachers still provide all of their lessons and all the learning on Google Classroom, so students can feel like they can miss a day and still not miss school,” Flores said.

And Hernandez said she’s learned things about herself over the last five years.

"I’ve learned that just throw yourself in there," she said. "Don’t be afraid to say you don’t know because somebody will teach you. The technology, all of a sudden, I had to learn all these new things."