When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Maria O's daughters were in kindergarten and third grade in Los Angeles Unified.

They didn't get a working computer from the district and had to connect to Zoom classes on their parents' phones. But Maria was even more concerned about the other children in their classes, who she noticed were not showing up at all or were not interacting with their teachers.

So Maria decided to fight for them. Her children are two of 15 students in Oakland and Los Angeles who sued the state of California over unequal educational opportunities provided during the pandemic. Now, the state has settled, bringing billions to schools to focus on students who were most affected.

Guests:

• Maria O., Plaintiff, Cayla J. vs. California
• John Fensterwald, Editor-at-large, EdSource

Read more from EdSource: California agrees to target the most struggling students to settle learning-loss lawsuit

Education Beat is a weekly podcast hosted by EdSource’s Zaidee Stavely. This episode was produced by Jennifer Molina.