Education secretary begins two-day visit to LA County schools

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona is set to begin a two-day trip to Los Angeles County Tuesday by visiting Rio Hondo College in Whittier and El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera.

Cardona and Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Whittier, will participate in a conversation with students at Rio Hondo College about school-based supports that help meet students’ basic needs such as housing and food security.

Students from El Rancho High School will lead Cardona, Sanchez, and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond on a tour of their school, including stops in various classes to learn about its Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics program. They will also learn how student and staff COVID-19 testing clinics have helped to mitigate the spread of the virus.

Cardona will be in San Bernardino County later Tuesday, touring De Anza Middle School in Ontario, including its Wellness, Arts and Technology Center, and the Chaffey College Industrial Technical Learning Center in Fontana.

Cardona is scheduled to return to Los Angeles County Wednesday to visit with students and families from the Los Angeles Unified School District. Details have not been disclosed.

On Wednesday morning, he will visit Los Angeles High School of the Arts with Thurmond and LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, discussing the district’s use of American Rescue Plan and other pandemic-relief funds to support students.

Following the school tour, they will meet with a group of parents to discuss efforts to support students’ mental health as schools emerge from the pandemic.

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