Battle Brews Over LA Schools Used as Film Sets While Real Students Are Stuck at Home

“They’re not allowing these kids to set foot on campus right now, but they are allowing child actors,” one parent tells TheWrap

Apple TV filming at Kester Elementary School Sherman Oaks
Apple TV filming at Kester Elementary School Sherman Oaks Credit: Shot by a Kester parent, courtesy Speak UP

Parents are up in arms about Los Angeles area schools being used as locations for film, TV and commercial production while real kids, especially those with special needs, are not yet allowed on campus due to COVID-19 concerns. Jenny Hontz, communications director for the 4,000-member grassroots organization Speak UP that represents parents with students in Los Angeles Unified School District schools, shined light on the issue last week when she tweeted a photo of child actors on the campus of Kester Elementary/Kester Magnet School in Sherman Oaks for a recent Apple TV production. Although Hontz does not have children who attend Kester, she told TheWrap the photo had been sent to her by an irate Kester parent who happened to see the filming in action.

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