Three years have passed since the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic set itself firmly in our history; even now, its presence still lingers in the present, especially in education. Due to a recent lawsuit set forth by parents concerned about distance learning’s detrimental effects on student education, California schools are required to spend their remaining COVID relief funds on helping students reach education standards.

As a result of Cayla J. et al. v. State of California, California schools will be spending a sum of roughly $2 billion, taken from the Learning Recovery Emergency Block Grant fund, to support schools with low-income families and students of color.

According to state-wide statistics, students of these demographics suffered most, with many dropping one to two letter grades. Additionally, low-income students were found to have dropped to almost 45 test points below the state standard in English Language Arts and more than 80 test points below the state standard in mathematics, as shown in a study by UCLA professor Tyrone Howard.

“The settlement in [this] case is an important step in the right direction of addressing decades-long disparities that Black, Brown and poor students have faced in this state,” Howard said. “There is still tremendous work to do to eliminate racial disparities in educational opportunities that became ever greater during the pandemic.”

Aiming to bridge these recurring societal issues, many parents throughout the state banded together to form Oakland REACH, a non-profit organization led by Lakisha Young pushing the schools to use the remainder of their Emergency Block Grant fund to hire tutors for students or increase the amount of instructional time dedicated to learners during school hours.

As another part of the settlement, it will be easier for students and parents to reach school district offices, and the new procedure will allow schools to quickly and efficiently respond to public complaints.

“This $2 billion-plus settlement is a history-making win, but money can’t solve anything if we don’t put it to good use,” Young said.

The causes behind this phenomenon were highlighted in the court case as the product of racial disparities and the inability to purchase necessary academic supplies. Walnut Valley Unified School District is an example of a district that has done their best to make education as equal as possible. However, much of California was affected, and the ruling will apply to every school district within the state.