Los Angeles Times - 03.04.2020

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Mount Sinai Memorial Parks
Hollywood Hills 800-600-
http://www.mountsinaiparks.org

FREUND, Sidney


March 23, 1934-March 29, 2020

DELLEPIANE, Donald H.


With hisloving familybyhis
side,Don Dellepiane succumbed
to complications of pneumonia on
March 29, 2020. Hewasbornon
March 23, 1934 in Modesto,CA,to
HenryDellepiane andFronieAdams
Dellepiane.Because his motherwas
quitesmittenwith DonaldDuck,
who also came on the scene in 1934,
she chosetoname her newborn son,
Donald.Afamily Bible also shows
lineage backtoPresidentJohnAdams.
Don’schildhoodwasspentinSan
Francisco,CA,and laterthe family
movedtoGustine,CA, wherehe
graduatedfromGustine HighSchool.
Heinterruptedhiscollege studies
atSanFranciscoState toenlist in
the US ArmyduringtheKoreanWar.
Afterdischarge,hesettled inthe
SanFernandoValley andreceived his
electrical engineering degree fromSan
FernandoValleyStateCollege(CSUN).
Forthe past 32years,Don enjoyed
agratifying lifestyleresiding in the
SantaClaritaValley.
Don’scareerencompassedwork
inaerospace, hydrodynamics,and
medical electronics.But hewasmost
proud of hiswork in spaceexploration
and environmentalresearchatJPL.
Healsotook pride in the factthat
he becameaself-taughtcomputer
programmer as herounded out his
career.
Don’shobbies and interests
included travel,photography,animals
(especially dogs), nature,the arts,and
enjoying food and wine with friends.
Hewasamember ofEClampusVitus,
USPowerSquadrons, LAOperaLeague,
and the InternationalWestern Music
Assoc.
Heleavesbehind hisbelovedwife of
32 years,Cheryl AntonelliDellepiane,
along with son, Dan; daughter,
Suzanne; step-daughters Kristen
and Katrina,5grandchildren, and a
great-grandson.
ACelebration of Life will take
placeafter the pandemic subsides.
Donations inDon’smemorymaybe
madetoAssistanceLeagueSanta
Clarita,P. O.Box220145,SantaClarita,
CA91322.

Mount Sinai Memorial Parks
Hollywood Hills 800-600-
http://www.mountsinaiparks.org

COHEN, Shirley Kekst


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Mount Sinai Memorial Parks
Hollywood Hills 800-600-
http://www.mountsinaiparks.org

TRUBO, Claire


November 2, 1946-March 24, 2020

SZAMET,Melissa Catherine


Melissa succumbedto complications
relatedtolung cancer on March 24,


  1. MelissawasborntoMary-Anne
    andStanley E. Nash. Sheattended
    the UniversityofSouthernCalifornia
    earning degree in Occupational
    Therapy.
    She is survivedbyherhusband
    John, threesonsDavid (Kelsey),
    Adam(Amy), and Nicholas (Erika),
    grandchildren Reese,Scotlyn, Remy,
    andSawyer,aswell as her brothers
    MichaelO’Sullivan and Aaron Nash.
    Given the pandemic,Services will be
    postponed untilamemorial mass can
    be held.


Mount Sinai Memorial Parks
Hollywood Hills 800-600-
http://www.mountsinaiparks.org

NEUFELD, Benjamin Simon


October 5, 1931 - March 27, 2020

HANKIN, Nadine M.


Nadine was the wife of Harold
Hankin (deceased) and the lifelong
friend and sister to Isabel Janken. She
was the beloved mother of Suzanne
(Steven) Goldstein and Michael
Hankin; cherished grandmother of
Robyn (Nick) Aguirre, Michelle (Eric)
Greenberg, Allie (Manny) Rodriguez,
and Emma Hankin; adored great-
grandmother (GG) of Joie, Beckett,
Jacob, Asher, and Maxwell. She was
elected as the “Queen” at the Jewish
Home for the Aging, respected and
admired by all.
Contributions may be sent to the
Jewish Home for the Aging or a charity
of your choice.

Therese MaryGrojean(Frysztak)
passedawayon March 27, 2020 due
to complications afterafive-year
battle with dementia. Shewasbornin
Chicago,IL, on May29, 1939toPeter
and MaryFrysztak.After graduating
CardinalStritch HighSchool in 1957,
she thrived as anexecutiveassistantto
the VP ofSales for Motorola. In 1959,
she met her futurehusband,Tom,ona
blind date,and they havebeen dancing
through lifetogether ever since.They
married on May6,1961 and quickly
grewtoafamily of six while moving
around from ILtoGAtoCAtoIL again
and finally landing back inLosAngeles,
CA,in1975.Terri’smottowas “bloom
whereyou’replanted” and thatshe did
with joyinher heartandasong on her
lips.She grounded her life inCatholic
faith, family,friendsandcommunity,
and her marriage withTominspired
everyone whoknew them.
Terri wasthe consummate
homemaker.Herhomeembodied
love.Shewelcomed everyone with
open arms andawarm smile.She
gavecomfort, rides,andLucky Charms
to countless neighborhoodkids.She
volunteered her timetoamyriad
of school,community,and church
activities–doing all withahumble
and quiet perfection–likeher patron
Saint, St.Therese of Lisieux.Filling and
hanging Christmas stockingswasone
of her favoriteactivities of the season,
especially as shewatched her family
blossom from sixtotwenty-eight.
ShewasactiveasaEucharistic
Minister,Dame of Malta, ARCS
AuxiliaryBoardPresident,Tr usteeat
MarymountHighSchool,andCardinal
AwardsCommittee member.Terriwas
anavidtennis player, golfer,skier,and
traveller of the globe with family and
friends.She enjoyedspending time
with her manywonderful friends.
Terri andTomconstantlyattended
NotreDame football games,countless
family milestones,and grandchildren’s
sports games,performances and
graduations.
Terri (akaGrammy) is survivedby
her belovedhusband,Thomas,and
theirfourdevoted children:To m
(Susie) Grojean Jr.ofDallas,TX, Bill
(Mollie) Grojean of KansasCity,KS,
Janet (Randy)Seidl ofWellesley,MA,
andBeth (Rob)Healy of LagunaBeach,
CA;her belovedgrandchildren,TomIII
(Michelle), Grant,Ryan(Val),Kendall,
Emma (Jackson), Isabel,Philip,
Shannon,Tommy,Billy,Casey,Robbie,
andCampbell; her treasured great-
grandchildren,Raleigh and Sienna
Therese; also,her dear friend,Nancy
Shute;and sisters-in-lawTherese
Frystak andPatriciaSwalwell; aswell
as loving nieces and nephews.
Terri’scaregiversBertha, Gladys,
Modesta,Sonia, andWinnie each
tirelessly assistedTerri, andwentthe
extramileto comforther during her
illness.
Terri’scaring and generous heart,
sweet smile,andwarm hugs will be
deeply missedbyall.
In lightofCOVID-19 and inkeeping
with the CDC guidelinesregarding
public gatherings,wewillbe
postponing hercelebration of lifeto a
laterdate.Herfinalrestingplacewill
beatthe UniversityofNotreDame’s
Cedar GroveCemetery.
In lieu of flowers,pleaseconsider a
donationtoMarymountHighSchool,
10643 SunsetBoulevard,LosAngeles,
onlineatwww.mhs-la.org/giving orto
St.ClareofAssisiParish, POBox1390,
Edwards,CO81632.
Palmer FuneralHome-Hickey
Chapel,SouthBend,IN, is assisting
the family with arrangements.Online
condolences maybeleftfor thefamily
atwww.palmerfuneralhomes.com.

GROJEAN, Therese “Terri”
M.

trict to wave a virtual hello
and check in on video chat —
and De la Torre is everything
to her son.
“It’s a ton to be balanced.
I felt very anxious this week
and I don’t usually struggle
with anxiety,” said De la Tor-
re, who also has children
who are 2 and 10 years old.
Students with disabilities
and their parents, like the
De la Torre family, were
dealt a particularly harsh
blow when the coronavirus
emergencyshut down Cali-
fornia schools.
Overnight, the intense
hands-on assistance re-
quired for their children’s
education and physical
needs was no longer avail-
able, and in many cases not
suitable for online learning.
Under federal education
and civil rights law, public
schools are required to pro-
vide equal educational re-
sources to students with dis-
abilities. School districts
that do not meet the individ-
ual needs promised in per-
sonalized education plans
could be at risk of losing fed-
eral funding.
Statewide, 767,560 Cali-
fornia students, about 12% of
the total, received special
education services in 2017-18,
according to the National
Center for Education
Services. In Los Angeles
public schools alone, there
are about 70,000 special edu-
cation students, according
to the superintendent.
In a webinar for special
education teachers and ad-
ministrators Thursday, offi-
cials from the California De-
partment of Education and
schools around the state
said that while they have
started offering virtual serv-
ices for students with disa-
bilities, many are still trying
to adapt. Hundreds of ques-
tions have poured in from
schools about how to main-
tain these services for stu-
dents, said Kristin Wright,
director of CDE’s special ed-
ucation division.
“We understand the ur-
gency, as you continue to
plan and implement, how to
discuss, deliver and docu-
ment what you’re doing to
serve our students with dis-
abilities in some very new
and innovative ways,” said
Wright, who also has a child
with disabilities. “As we’ve
been working as a state on
increasing inclusion in our
schools and in our commu-
nities, this temporary de-
parture to a virtual world,
into our homes, is extremely
challenging.”
The pressure on parents,
many attempting to juggle
the new demands along with
their own jobs from home,
has been great.
“All of a sudden I’m the
teacher and I’m the aide,”
said El Segundo parent
April Bucknell, a special ed-
ucation attorney who has
two sons with special needs.
Initially, only one of them
was receiving all of his prom-
ised services.
Her 11-year-old sixth-
grader is supposed to have
one-on-one tutoring every
morning for his reading
skills, half-hour sessions
weekly with a school psy-
chologist and speech ther-
apy. He has dyslexia, ADHD


and is bipolar, she said.
“It’s very discouraging
that it’s the child that needs
the most help who is not get-
ting it,” she said after a week
out of school.
But, unlike many other
schools, this week the dis-
trict had provided virtual re-
placement for all of his serv-
ices.
Some districts, like
Poway Unified, decided to
stop providing new instruc-
tion to all students during
the first weeks of school clo-
sures, in part because they
could not guarantee that
students with disabilities
would receive equitable

services. They are planning
to launch distance learning
for all in the future.
The U.S. Department of
Education said in its co-
ronavirus guidance for spe-
cial education that the early
actions taken by districts
like Poway go too far.
“We need schools to edu-
cate all students out of prin-
ciple, rather than educate no
students out of fear. These
are challenging times, but
we expect schools to rise to
the occasion, and the de-
partment stands ready to
assist you in your efforts,”
Education Secretary Betsy
DeVos saidin a statement
accompanied by a fact sheet
on serving students with dis-
abilities.
While the Education De-
partment said there is some
flexibility, student with disa-
bilities still need services.
Jeeva John, an Oakland
High School special educa-

tion teacher, said that for
new lessons, many of her
students need a specialized
joystick mouse to navigate a
specially programmed com-
puter that moves the cursor
at slower speeds. Multiple
students in class require a
teacher or aide next to them
offering individual support
throughout the day.
With the school shut, her
students have neither. In-
stead, John and another
special education teacher,
Carmen Mandic, sent their
students’ families a “menu of
suggested activities” based
on what they would do in the
classroom, with guidance
for caretakers.
“We have very communi-
cation-heavy classrooms
that are heavily dependent
on adult support,” Mandic
said. She has 10 students and
two para-educators who
tend to the needs of the
class, which includes four
students who require one-
to-one support from regis-
tered behavior technicians.
“It’s an extraordinary de-
mand that we’re asking par-
ents to engage in,” Mandic
said.
Mandic said she had not
received new guidance from
the district since Monday.
But neither she nor John
blames district officials;
standardizing distance
learning for students with
disabilities is a difficult task,
particularly because each
student’s needs are differ-
ent, often vastly.
“How do we grapple with
the complexity of the situa-
tion and provide solutions in
such a short amount of
time?” John asked. She
doesn’t have the answer.
But there are worries
that parents and teachers,
John and Mandic included,
have about students’ needs.
“There’s stress about
them losing skills,” Mandic
said, and “a lot of our stu-
dents really thrive with a
high level of structure and
routine, especially our stu-
dents on the autism spec-
trum.” The disruptions in
their learning and daily pat-
tern may set students back
more so than general educa-
tion students, she said.
Kelly de la Torre worries
that Trevor will regress,
even as she wants his team
to take the time they need to

prepare for some distance
learning.
Friends try to reassure
her by saying things like,
“Don’t worry, kids are resil-
ient and they’re going to
catch up,” but that might
not be true for Trevor. “It’s
harder for him to ... catch up,
so the gap just gets bigger,”
she said.
Kathleen Mortier, an as-
sistant professor of special
education at San Francisco
State, is worried about fam-
ilies who have students with
disabilities and are also low-
income or English learners,
or whose parents do not
speak English.
“My biggest concern is
also for students who don’t
have access to the technol-
ogy, who live in tight quar-
ters, who don’t speak Eng-
lish — how are they going to
be supported?” Mortier
said.
Evelyn Peña, a South
L.A. parent and president of
the nonprofit Deaf Latinos y
Familias, said she was un-
happy with the accommoda-
tions for students with disa-
bilities. Her younger son,
Darlin, has cerebral palsy
and attends Banneker Ca-
reer and Transition Center
in Willowbrook, which offers
classes for students with dis-
abilities after they age out of
high school.
Darlin, 19, was sent home
with a paper packet with
reading on topics like per-
sonal banking and how to
get a job, which don’t con-
nect directly to subjects like
e-commerce and cooking
that he was learning.
He couldn’t fill out the
packet because he does not
have enough motor control
to write well, he said. The
school did not send the
packet virtually or upload it
onto his district-adminis-
tered device. School was out
for week before his mother
heard from a teacher — and
only after she reached out.
“I want to learn more, but
they don’t have anything for
me to do,” Darlin said last
week. At the end of the week,
the school provided Darlin a
new device, but he still can’t
use the apps for his learning,
his mother said.

Times staff writer Howard
Blume contributed to this
report.

Special-needs students struggle


EVELYN PEÑA,with her son Darlin, is president of the Deaf Latinos y Familias
and is unhappy with the accommodations for students with disabilities.

Dania MaxwellLos Angeles Times

[Students,from B1]


‘For students who


don’t have access


to the technology,


who live in tight


quarters, who


don’t speak


English— how are


they going to be


supported?’


—Kathleen
Mortier,
special education professor at
San Francisco State

hospital.
Politicians talked this
year about using the medical
center at 3rd and Alvarado
streets to help the area’s
homeless population, but
the proposal didn’t gain
traction.
The foundation’s bid
marks the latest twist for St.
Vincent, which was founded
in the 1850s by the Daugh-
ters of Charity — six nuns
who wanted to offer services
to the poor and saw a need
for healthcare in a growing
L.A.
It is now owned by Verity
Health System, a nonprofit
operator of California hospi-
tals, which filed for Chapter
11 bankruptcy protection in
2018.
At the time, Verity offi-
cials said the company had
more than $1 billion in debt
from bonds and unfunded
pension liabilities and
needed cash to make seismic
ugrades to its aging facili-
ties. They said they pur-
chased St. Vincent and five
other hospitals in 2017 hop-
ing to restore them to finan-
cial health but could not.
The bankruptcy cred-
itors include the hospital
system’s former manage-
ment company, Integrity
Healthcare, which is con-
trolled by NantWorks, the


Culver City company led by
Soon-Shiong.
NantWorks-related en-
tities contributed more than
$300 million in unsecured
and secured loans and in-
vestments to the chain as
part of Integrity’s efforts to
recapitalize and revitalize
the hospitals.
Verity opted to cancel the
contract with Integrity as
part of its bankruptcy pro-
ceedings, ending Soon-
Shiong’s relationship with
the hospitals, according to
court records.
The Chan Soon-Shiong
Family Foundation was
founded in 2009. Soon-
Shiong said the foundation

has “nothing to do with”
NantWorks.
The long-term plan for
St. Vincent Medical Center
is still being worked out,
Soon-Shiong said. If the sale
to his foundation goes
through, the infrastructure
“needs a significant amount
of work,” he said, and it’s un-
clear whether the center
would operate as a hospital
after the pandemic.
“I think we have to ad-
dress the homelessness is-
sue, we have to address the
mental health issue, we have
to address the poverty issue,
and that’s the mission of the
foundation,” Soon-Shiong
said.

Soon-Shiong said the
state will be in charge of
staffing the hospital. Court
filings show that the state
will pay $2.6 million a month
to lease St. Vincent.
The court set a hearing
Monday for an auction if
other bids are submitted. A
final hearing on the sale is
scheduled for later next
week.
Louis Cisz, attorney for
American Hospital Proper-
ties of California, said his cli-
ent also hoped to bid on the
center and was disappoint-
ed with the timeline.
“Because of the ruling
[Wednesday], and the short
time frame, we’re not sure
we can complete the bidding
in time,” Cisz said. “This is a
very accelerated process. In
our view, the lead bidder
wanted to close the sale as
soon as possible.”
Soon-Shiong said that
bankruptcy proceedings
had been going on for two
years, challenging criticisms
that the sale process is now
moving quickly.
However, there “is an ur-
gency in regard to COVID,”
Soon-Shiong said. “We liter-
ally have weeks before we
have a huge surge.”

Times staff writer Alejandra
Reyes-Velarde contributed
to this report.

Times owner seeks to buy empty hospital


DR. PATRICKSoon-Shiong wants to turn St. Vin-
cent hospital into a campus for COVID-19 patients.

Gabriella Angotti-JonesLos Angeles Times

[Soon-Shiong,from B1]

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