Ezekiel West, 10, stands for a portrait outside his home in Los Angeles on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. At least three of the students that lawyer Allison Hertog has represented, including Ezekiel, have disappeared from school for long periods since schools resumed in-person instruction. Their situations were avoidable, she said: “It’s pretty disgraceful that the school systems allowed this to go on for so long.” (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)