Angelus News | July 31-August 7, 2020 | Vol. 5 No. 21

03072020_M
LOCAL
California bishops warn
against too much
distance learning
The Catholic bishops of California
are asking Gov. Gavin Newsom to
make it easier for schools to return to
in-person classes this fall.
New school reopening guidelines
announced by Newsom July 17
effectively require all schools — public
and private — to begin the 2020-2021
school year with distance learning until
coronavirus (COVID-19) infection
rates drop to sufficiently low levels.
But in a July 22 statement, the state’s
bishops warned about the consequences
of too stringent conditions on
reopening schools.
“We are deeply concerned about the
broader health and development issues
for our children if the state presumes
to rely only on distance learning until
a vaccine is developed,” the bishops
wrote in a July 22 statement.
The bishops asked that Newsom
make it easier for schools to obtain special
waivers from local health authorities
to reopen.
“What our children will lose by
“virtual” education — in terms of
emotional development, skills, and
learning and achievement — will
have a significant impact,” the bishops
wrote. “In the name of protecting their
health in the short term, we may very
likely be risking their long-term growth
and potential.”
The Ventura County seal.
Students at Holy Spirit STEM Academy in Mid-City participate in a science experiment.
LA Catholic STEM schools get big boost
STEM schools in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles are getting a helping hand
from one of the country’s largest philanthropic organizations.
Announced July 23, the $200,000 grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation will
be used to expand STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics)
programs in low-income communities, with funding for equipment, curriculum,
and professional development for teachers and STEM leaders.
“This grant propels us to continue to address not only achievement gaps related
to math and science learning, but also opportunity gaps students may experience
in accessing hands-on, rigorous STEM education,” said Leslie De Leonardis,
STEM network director for the Department of Catholic Schools.
The STEM Network currently operates at five schools in the archdiocese, and
thanks to the new grant is set to expand into two additional schools in the 2021-
2022 school year.
Can a county erase St. Junípero Serra?
After the city of Ventura voted to remove the statue of St. Junípero Serra in
front of City Hall, Ventura County is considering removing the saint’s image
from its seal.
At a June 23 Board of Supervisors meeting, Ventura County CEO Mike Power
announced a redesign of the seal that since 1964 has displayed an image
of St. Junípero with a mission church in the background on the left side. The
question of whether to exclude the image of St. Junípero will be decided by
the board after opportunities for public input.
Father Tom Elewaut, pastor of the Old Mission Basilica of San Buenaventura,
told Catholic News Agency that in any redesign, “some representation of
Junípero Serra is critical to the history of the county and its economic prosperity
that we all enjoy today.”
VICTOR ALEMÁN
C
O
6 • ANGELUS • July 31-August 7, 2020