Print Katy Meza knows full well the pain distance learning is causing her son Matthew. The third-grader struggles with isolation, gets frustrated sitting in front of the computer for hours and is stalling academically. Still, Meza says she’s not prepared for him to return any time soon to in-person schooling at Bryson Elementary School in South Gate. Almost every family she knows has someone who has fallen ill with COVID-19. Her neighbor died of the disease, and his wife was hospitalized. And Meza has no confidence that her son’s school — which before the pandemic often lacked toilet paper and soap — can keep him safe or prevent him from becoming infected with the virus and bringing it home to his grandparents.