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Link copied.New law would help students who fell behind academically during pandemic
California may make it easier for parents to request that their children be held back a grade level next school year or have letter grades earned this school year changed to a “pass” or “don’t pass” score, which some colleges will be required to accept if Assembly Bill 104 becomes law.
The bill was introduced today by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, as a way to ensure that students aren’t punished for falling behind academically during the pandemic.
“The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated educational inequities in California’s school system at an unprecedented scale,” said Gonzalez in her author’s statement. “Mounting evidence indicates that our most vulnerable students lack the necessary academic, social emotional, and technological supports needed to be successful in distance learning, leaving them to fall behind and underperform.”
A federal court Jan. 18Â blocked nearly all of a previous Trump administration rule that would have drastically increased fees in immigration proceedings in which the government seeks to deport immigrants, many of whom are long-term residents of this country.
The fee increase rule, originally scheduled to have taken effect Jan. 19, would have increased the filing fees for applications, appeals and motions in removal proceedings by as much as nearly 800 percent.
The substantial increases would have immediately denied access to justice for economically disadvantaged individuals seeking a fair day in court, according to an American Immigration Council news release.
The American Immigration Council, the National Immigration Law Center and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher challenged the rule.
By Andrea Lopez-Villafaña
U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris toured the Otay Mesa Detention Center on Friday, June 22. She said her heart was broken after speaking with three mothers detained in the facility. Mario A. Cortez/La Prensa San Diego
To kick off a weekend of nationwide demonstrations against the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy, U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris joined immigrant rights supporters to rally against family separation on Friday.
Harris toured the Otay Mesa Detention Center, while several dozen supporters poured off the sidewalk onto the street and denounced the treatment of immigrant families.
The center is the only immigration detention facility in the county and is owned by the private prison company CoreCivic, which contracts to hold individuals in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.