After reading the article from The New Yorker, think about the impact the Coronavirus has, and continues to have, on government-mandated health and safety orders (the State of California and the Los Angeles Department of Public Health – and other public health agencies), and the individual/collective reactions to these health and safety “orders.”
This article speaks mostly to the creation of a new social structure in America. One that has evolved due to the economic impact to both children and adults nationwide.
The idea behind the essay is to illustrate how civil rights and fundamental freedoms can be temporarily altered under the 10th Amendment (health and safety) as we’ve all experienced. The LACCD and its 9 colleges enacted emergency operations, issued mandatory COVID-19 testing and reporting protocols, required its employees and students to be vaccinated, required indoor masking, and for over a year, and for almost 2 years, converted pretty much every face-to-face class to an online platform. As a whole, the LACCD lost more than 100,000+ students attributed to the effects of the pandemic.
On March 31, 2023, the State of California and the County of Los Angeles repealed the COVID-19 emergency. The LACCD repealed its emergency safety order for mandatory student vaccinations and mandated masking. The LACCD continues to require vaccination status for its employees.
Directions:
- Think about the impact on your life related to the pandemic. After carefully reading the article, which new social structure do you identify with most? Perhaps you identify with more than one? That’s OK too.
A Remote?
An Essential?
The Unpaid?
The Forgotten?
- Given your new social structure(s), the one (or more) you identify most with, please describe the impact using a constitutional analysis including whether the impact and effect of your new social structure(s) are temporary or permanent. A constitutional analysis must include a substantive discussion using which Amendment(s) and any of the case law we have studied.
NOTES:
The Final Exam is worth up to 100 points so take your time and be very, very complete with you constitutional analysis. The length of the essay should be no fewer than 500 words. Remember, you’re being tested on following the directions and for the substance of your answer (the constitutional rationale).
There is only one (1) attempt programmed.
Turnitin has been activated for this exam. Please submit original work.