California High Schoolers Losing Out on College and Scholarships While Rest of Country Moving On and Up

In month 11 of California Governor Gavin Newsom’s lockdown of the state, the real damage is beginning to show.

Millions of Californians filed for unemployment benefits during Newsom’s government-ordered business shutdowns. And now we know that millions of those claims went unpaid, and instead $31 billion looks to have been paid out fraudulently.

Hundreds of thousands of small businesses have permanently closed for good because of Newsom’s random, non-scientific government-ordered business shutdowns.

Public schools have been closed since last Spring. The SAT exam was cancelled. High schoolers have lost college opportunities, academic scholarships, and sports scholarships.

While other states have allowed players to return to the field, California football players remain benched. Any hope of a 2021 season are dashed.

Lancaster’s Paraclete High football player Isaiah Navarro posted a Tweet this week expressing his frustration at the loss of his immediate future:

“Zero offers, zero looks, zero commitments, zero time on campus, zero homecoming, zero prom, zero traditional graduation. What a wasted final year of school. Worked hard and dedicated for absolutely ZERO. Big shout out to @GavinNewsom! You got what you wanted.”

Zero offers, zero looks, zero commitments, zero time on campus, zero homecoming, zero prom, zero traditional graduation. What a wasted final year of school. Worked hard and dedicated for absolutely ZERO. Big shout out to @GavinNewsom! You got what you wanted.

— Isaiah J. Navarro (@IsaiahJNavarro1) February 3, 2021

Navarro speaks for thousands of high school kids.

“Navarro was interviewed live on Fox News today (Friday, Feb. 5). He’s been asked to be a guest on Newsmax, the John and Ken Show on KFI AM 640 radio and is scheduled to appear on CBS next week with Paraclete football coach Dean Herrington,” the Daily News reported.

The Globe has talked with many parents of high schoolers who are frustrated and acutely worried about their kids’ future. They know their students have fallen a year or more behind other high schoolers in the country, who live in states that re-opened and resumed school, clubs, social activities and sports.

A coach we spoke with said he lost several of his top football players whose families relocated to states open for business and schools. But those were the lucky kids, the coach conceded. He acknowledged that for many high school athletes, college scholarships are the way out of poverty and tough neighborhoods. For many athletes, it’s the way in to college if they aren’t particularly academically strong.

The bottom line is that college opportunities for most graduating high school kids in California has been stolen from them.

Isiah Navarro’s Tweet struck a chord with thousands as it went viral, as it showed the damage done to two years of high school classes will never be undone.

Will they have an asterisk by their names if they are allowed in to colleges without taking the SAT exam?

What about the thousands of California school kids who have fallen into deep depression from the lack of social interaction, clubs and sports, now replaced by 8 hours of a computer screen?

Is this going to be a lost generation? And what about all of the “underserved” kids the public education system claims to care so much about? School is often a lifeline for them.  Are they destined to become gang bangers now, when they had a chance to escape the life?

The governor’s COVID lockdown has really hurt families with school-aged kids the most; parents who work, but have had to stay home and monitor their kids’ distance-learning, and deal with the repercussions of non-activity and depression.

Gov. Newsom’s approval ratings have tanked for a good reason, and one in which is not lost on 18-year old Isiah Navarro.

When Gov. Newsom lifted the regional COVID restrictions two weeks ago, he announced allowable activities include outdoor dining with modifications, hair salons opened with modifications, and competitive youth sports with modifications.

However, Assemblyman James Gallagher (R-Yuba City) reminded us what those youth sports are in the purple tier: badminton and lawn bowling. Under Gov. Newsom’s tiered system, football is still two tiers away.

Bluster vs. Reality of Purple Tier. Yes, kids can now play badminton. Football and basketball, for example, still not allowed until Orange Tier. #LetThemPlayCA pic.twitter.com/51ye5nmGkM

— James Gallagher (@J_GallagherAD3) January 25, 2021

But with the governor’s announcement came another new measurement, even after acknowledging a drop in hospitalizations by 20%, moving the goal posts once again (the 5th or 6th new measurement). Newsom said he would now be measuring improvements in the state’s capacity projections in another 3-4-weeks, on February 21st.

Even an 18-year old can see through the governor’s balderdash.

As California Globe contributor Samuel Coleman recently reported, Gov. Newsom might be willing to re-open California’s public schools, just as soon as the teachers union tells him to. “Because Newsom’s priorities are getting re-elected, and not protecting California’s children or getting them back in the classroom.”

Meanwhile, California’s Democrat governor is facing a recall election, which has already gathered 1.5 million signatures of angry voters, parents and small business owners.