Reply Students who are learning English as a second language have priority to return to in-person class at some school districts in California, but many are still staying home because their parents fear the risk of Covid-19 infection is too high. (Getty Images) By Betty Marquez Rosales and Zaidee Stavely, CALIFORNIA — Students who are learning English as a second language have priority to return to in-person class at some school districts in California, but many are still staying home because their parents fear the risk of Covid-19 infection is too high. For English learners, live instruction and small groups can offer more opportunities to practice English, a critical part of learning the language. Teachers have tried to maintain the additional communication that English learners most often benefit from — speaking and interacting with peers and teachers — in order to help them learn to speak, read and write fluently. But it remains a difficult task to virtually recreate the level of support that English learners need as they learn a new language.