LAUSD reaffirms its full commitment and support to students regardless of background

During an emotional message to the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) community, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho assured the district stands behind every student without exception. 

The superintendent spoke at the annual Opening of Schools Address on Monday at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, where he emphasized that the first half of 2025 has been a year like no othe, starting with the January 7 wildfires, the economic crisis threatened by the Department of Education and the massive immigration raids.

On January 7, the wildfires destroyed three LAUSD schools and dozens more were damaged. 

Despite the chaotic moments before and during evacuation, Carvalho said what followed was truly extraordinary. 

“As the flames were contained, we surged into action. We scrubbed campuses, we replaced thousands of filters, we made sure every site was safe,” he said. “More importantly, we reached out with open arms and open hearts to every student, to every staff member, to every family, to ensure that they had what they needed to ensure they weren't alone.”

This tragic situation that burned thousands of properties in Altadena and Pacific Palisades led the District to take bold, proactive steps to enhance its disaster preparedness and protect students, staff and school communities.

“We are retrofitting campuses to meet the realities of climate change. And yes, climate change is a thing: extreme heat, wildfires and environmental volatility,” Carvalho said. 

He explained that the district will have its own sensors that will provide schools with real-time data to detect dangerous conditions and advanced monitors in a centralized command hub. This will allow the district to make rapid, informed decisions with safer and smarter campuses. 

“These are more than upgrades. These are lifelines for the next crisis that comes, and it will. Our students and staff deserve more than hope. They deserve a system ready to meet the moment with precision, with speed and with care, and we are building that system right now,” he said.

Staying alert on immigration

Carvalho said schools are places of hope and they will make sure to protect all regardless of birthplace or legal status. 

“We will protect them with every tool, every policy and every ounce of collective will, because schools are not battlegrounds for politics. Schools are places of hope,” he said. “LAUSD will not stand for injustice. Los Angeles Unified will not stand by while fear walks through our neighborhoods, clothed as policy. We will not let the cruelty of immigration raids define the schoolhouse.”

LAUSD board members agreed with the superintendent, highlighting the positive progress.

LAUSD Board Member Karla Griego, who represents the Southeast Los Angeles (SELA) area, said that despite adversity, students continue to embody resiliency as they overcome societal challenges to achieve unprecedented academic performance. 

“The supplemental programs and resources that the District has invested in recent years are proof that when we uplift the whole child [so that] our students can focus on learning,” she said. “I am optimistic that the new initiatives, like the Student and Family Resource Centers, and the continued funding of current programs will augment our students' academic performance in the coming school year.”

Milestones to celebrate

Despite the challenges, Carvalho celebrated that LAUSD achieved the highest academic performance in the history of the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA).

“We didn’t just meet expectations, we exceeded them. We’ve achieved the best results this District has ever seen,” said Carvalho, referring to the record-high graduation rate of 87% for the 2023-24 school year. 

Records also indicate that, for the first time ever, 11th-grade students on average exceeded the standard in literacy and across all subjects and grade levels.

“These gains are not a coincidence,” Carvalho said. “They are the result of courageous leadership, bold innovation, and the unwavering belief that every child–regardless of background, zip code, or circumstance–can succeed.”

LAUSD Board Member Kelly Gonez said she’s proud of the incredible progress students have made this year, especially during a challenging school year. 

“We have proven the power of instruction that is inclusive, diverse, and culturally affirming. These results show the hard work of our educators, school staff, and families is paying off,” she said.