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Some students were bored in class. Some played hooky. Still others didn’t go to school at all on Monday, the first day of a Los Angeles Unified School District strike that left hundreds of schools without teachers.

Los Angeles Animal Services figured some students would need a place to go this week. So, on Monday, the agency launched a campaign to encourage kids to volunteer at one of six animal care centers throughout the city.

“Ten student volunteers will be at each center from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., learning about the work we do and pitching in to care for the animals and the facility,” Animal Care Services tweeted on Monday. “The half-day session includes supervised visiting time with an animal and education about proper care of animals and animal behavior.”

Students ages 12 to 18 are eligible, and can reserve a spot in advance by sending an email to Animal Services at ani.volunteers@lacity.org or by calling 213-395-1163.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.