A lawsuit has been filed against the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District on behalf of parents who allege the district has failed to provide in-person learning as required by law since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
The suit filed Friday in San Diego Superior Court alleges that some amount of in-person instruction must be offered to all students, but that distance learning has been the norm over the past year.
Citing Senate Bill 98, which states school districts “shall offer in- person instruction and may offer distance learning,” the plaintiffs allege the district failed to offer the option of in-person instruction to the vast majority of its students.
The complaint also alleges the district has failed to provide district students with equal access to distance learning, particularly regarding students who are underprivileged and/or come from underserved communities.
Superintendent David Feliciano said the district had not yet been served with the complaint, and thus he could not comment.
The suit, filed on behalf of parents Spring Vick and David Hardenburger, seeks unspecified damages.
The district’s schools are currently slated to reopen for in-person instruction later this month.
A similar lawsuit was filed last month against the San Diego Unified School District, also seeking damages for an alleged lack of in-person learning offered during the pandemic. SDUSD schools are slated to reopen next week.