California Agrees to $2 Billion Settlement Over COVID-19 Learning Loss Lawsuit

Filed in 2020, the California Department of Education has agreed to a lawsuit settlement alleging extended lockdowns inhibited learning.

School districts will receive funding proportionately to their respective enrollments of high-needs populations. File photo courtesy of Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock

California has agreed to designate at least $2 billion to help disadvantaged students who fell behind in their learning during the COVID-19 lockdowns, according to a recent legal settlement.

In 2020, families in Los Angeles and Oakland sued the California Department of Education (CDE) while public school students were still learning remotely. Filed by nonprofit law firm Public Counsel, the lawsuit claimed California’s “extended” school closures “exposed deeply embedded inequalities” in the state’s education system. Especially for children from lower-income families in black and Latino communities