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the MIRROR
FALL 2023 | 7
COURTESY | LAUSD
LAUSD’s school bus electrification program
Steering into a sustainable future BY BARON KIM
T
THE MIRROR STAFF
he landscape of student transportation is undergoing a transformative change in the LAUSD. Spearheaded by the district’s commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility, the recent initiatives to electrify its bus fleet stands as a testament to a brighter, greener future for L.A. students and communities. In an exclusive interview, Mr. Daniel Kang, Director of Transport at LAUSD, sheds light on the groundbreaking endeavor. "This is for all of the students, all the way down to Universal TK," Kang said. "This is for our future, and I believe that I am a steward of this responsibility of making LAUSD and our local communities much safer and livable for our future."
In tune with LAUSD's Strategic Plan for 2022-26, led by Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho, the district has initiated the installation of 18 new electric school bus chargers at the Gardena Bus Yard. This is part of a broader strategy to adopt sustainable modes of transportation, keeping in line with the district's resolution to achieve 100 percent clean, renewable energy in its electricity sector by 2030 and in all energy sectors by 2040. Kang emphasized the utility of the newly installed chargers. "The theory is that school buses will be plugged into the grid and provide that power back to the local community, which gives the school district an opportunity to bring revenue in," he said. Historically, the Gardena Bus Yard has been the district's largest transportation hub, serving over 8,672 students across 296 schools with 371 buses. Of these, 270 buses
are powered by compressed vibration, so it's a much more ELECTRIC FUTURE LAUSD is paving the way for school natural gas and 75 by propleasant ride for the students bus transportation and pane. who take the bus,” Kang said. serving as a model for The move to introduce He emphasizes the direct other school districts. electric chargers is a radical effects that new electric buses shift, and the district plans to go further could have on students. by committing to complete electrifica“We need all your support, your contion of the Sun Valley Bus Yard by 2026 tinued support, and even the questions with the addition of 180 new electric and motivations from our elementary buses and chargers. students. It counts, and it matters,” Kang "We're up for the challenge and we don't said, highlighting his belief in the comwant to sit back and wait, we have to get munity's role, down to the youngest of ahead of the game,” Kang said. “Even though its members, in fostering a sustainable this is considered a new frontier, we have a future. lot of motivated leaders inside the district Furthermore, Kang underscored the such as our nationally renowned facilities often-overlooked influence of younger gendirector Christos Chrysiliou.” erations in bringing about change. These changes not only promote district“Children do have an impact, even in wide sustainable practices but also provide their homes and even in their schools,” benefits for students who rely on school Kang said. “We need their motivation. At the buses for transportation. end of the day, they are our customers, and “The buses are quieter and there's less that's who we're doing this for.”
Think it's over? Covid-19 continues to challenge public health BY SKYLIE MOLINA
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THE MIRROR STAFF
ven three years after its initial uproar, covid-19 and its evolving variants linger. The height of the pandemic was during the week of Jan. 15, 2022, with cumulatively 150,674 new hospital admissions. The current numbers of hospital admissions and positive cases do not compare to previous numbers. However, the numbers of positive cases are still prevailing. According to Los Angeles County’s Public Health website, on average, about 217 positive cases are reported each day. Although multiple vaccines have already been widely distributed, viruses evolve. This evolution leads them to become immune to the defenses that the original vaccines provide. The most recent cases aren’t originating from the SARS-COV-2 virus, covid-19’s origin, but instead from a variant of omicron referred to as EG.5. Due to the public’s waning immunity to the virus, EG.5 is catching faster than other variants being observed and is accounting for 17 percent of positive cases. A subvarient of Omicron, EG.5 affects the lower respiratory tract and causes cold-like symptoms, such as a runny nose and sore throat. Like previous variants, it especially
affects elderly people with weaker immune systems. School nurse Ms. Juana Mota considers LAUSD’s covid-19 policy effective. This policy requires students and administrators who have tested positive for covid-19 to stay in isolation for a minimum of five days. Thereafter, they must provide a negative test result and display no symptoms of the virus before returning to campus. For the following three days, the student or administrator is required to wear a mask. “The protocol definitely helps because isolation has always shown that it works,” Ms. Mota said. “I know that we are trending up in covid cases, but obviously the numbers don’t compare to what we were having during the pandemic.” This is majorly due to the cooperation of students, staff and the community with public health regulations. However, throughout LAUSD, there have been roughly 74 reported positive cases among students
GRAPHIC FOR THE MIRROR | TRUMAN HUI
A STUBBORN VIRUS Although not com-
parable to previous numbers, with an average of 217 positive cases per day, covid-19 is still an issue.
and staff in the past week. As people have gotten comfortable without masks, there has been an uptrend in cases. While masks were still being worn and enforced in March of 2022, weekly hospital admissions were down to about 18,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. During the summer and winter of 2022, cases spiked once again to approximately 44,000. “The state should mandate to a certain extent the use of masks for any person who is affected,” junior Carolina Oganesyan said. “Whoever is sick should be required to take a covid test and wear a mask because it would create a safer environment.” During July this year, there were about 7,000 new weekly covid-19 hospitalizations in the U.S. As of September, there was a general upward trend with numbers peaking at 20,000, surpassing the number of cases in March of 2022. While the probability that the county might undergo a lockdown once again is slight, the possibility still remains. If communities do not have safety measures in place, and covid-19 cases rise matching the levels of the pandemic, this could once again become disastrous. “In my personal opinion, I don’t think another lockdown will happen,” Mota said. “I think people are being more cautious, but you never know.” There are mixed feelings towards lockdowns and whether we should take this precautionary measure again, even though it has proven to be effective. Regardless, many scientists, including infectious disease specialist Dr. Russell Klein, stress that people shouldn't let their guard down. It is uncertain how numbers will progress and what variants can develop next.
