Activists with the social justice group Centro CSO are urging the Los Angeles Unified School District to place a moratorium on potential staff displacements tied to declining student enrollment — a long-standing practice known as “Norm Day.”
The Boyle Heights-based group says it’s unfair for schools to make staffing decisions at a time when immigration raids have stoked fears across L.A. neighborhoods.
“ICE has had a chilling effect on our school communities and families, especially those with undocumented members [who] are understandably afraid to send their children to school, fearing detention, separation, or deportation,” the organization wrote in a letter addressed to LAUSD board members.
How does “Norm Day” work?
Each year, the district counts the number of actively enrolled students on the fifth or sixth Friday of the school year, which is designated as “Norm Day.” This year, Norm Day fell on Friday, Sept. 19. The district then realigns its teacher workforce based on current student enrollment.
Because California funds schools based on the average number of students who show up to the classroom each day, daily attendance is important.
School districts also report their enrollment to the California Department of Education on “Census Day”— the first Wednesday in October, according to LAist. Schools with lower-than-expected enrollment risk losing teachers, who may be reassigned to other campuses or lose their positions altogether.
LAUSD spokesperson Britt Vaughan told Boyle Heights Beat on Sept. 23 that the district was “in the process of validating the data.”
“As such, decisions have not been determined or finalized,” Vaughan said.
Sudden staff changes spark concern
Meanwhile, Jessica Reynoso, an Eastman Avenue Elementary School parent, said her daughter’s teacher was recently removed from the classroom, although it’s unclear whether he was displaced or reassigned.
She learned from her daughter that her teacher would no longer be teaching her fifth-grade class when she picked her up from school during the second week of September. “She was crying. All the kids were crying. I was so scared,” she said.
Two days later, Reynoso said she received a letter from the district noting that the school would be reorganizing classrooms “due to low enrollment.”
Reynoso sent a photo of the letter to Boyle Heights Beat, which said another educator would be “taking over” as her daughter’s fifth-grade teacher.
“As parents, we want answers,” Reynoso said.
District officials have not yet issued a response to the letter drafted by Centro CSO.
Carlos Montes of Centro CSO, which organizes for immigrant rights and quality public education in Boyle Heights and East L.A., said the group got involved after hearing from Reynoso.
It’s unclear how many schools or teachers could be affected, but Montes believes a rise in charter schools, as well as immigration raids, has contributed to a decline in LAUSD student enrollment.
According to its website, the districtwide attendance rate for the 2025-2026 school year is 95%.
In the last 10 years, LAUSD has seen a nearly 30% drop in student enrollment, but that decline has not been matched by the proportionate school closures, according to the Los Angeles Times.