Los Angeles Unified School District campuses will remain closed for the remainder of the school year and courses through the summer will continue online amid ongoing coronavirus concerns, Superintendent Austin Beutner announced Monday morning.
In addition, students will not be penalized for not having access to services they need to complete courses, and no student will receive a failing grade for the spring semester.
Graduation ceremonies will also be conducted virtually, “at least for now,” Beutner said.
“There’s still no clear picture about testing, treatments, or vaccines — which we need to know more about in order to safely reopen schools,” the superintendent said during a remote news conference Monday morning. “The fact and circumstances continue to change, but we will not reopen school facilities until state and local health officials tell us how it is safe to do so.”
He said more work needs to be done to ensure that the class of 2020 get college acceptances confirmed and have financial aid secured.
“We will not allow the closure of school facilities to close the doors of opportunity for young adults earning a high school diploma and starting college can provide for them,” Beutner said.
Schools in the nation’s second-largest school district closed on March 16 amid the coronavirus crisis, and students transitioned to online learning. Later, the closure was extended to at least May 1.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on April 1 announced that California schools were expected to remain closed for the rest of the academic year and that teachers should concentrate on teaching from afar.
Beutner said that while there is a lot of anxiety surrounding school closures and the continuing pandemic, it is important to forge ahead.
“Back to school after a break for students usually means smiles and hugs from friends they missed seeing. Well, this year it’s a bit different. But we welcome our school community back with open arms to finish a semester filled with discovery and learning,” the superintendent said.
Beutner shared some of the challenges he is facing while working at home with his entire family and two dogs, and he acknowledged that some families in the district are being impacted greatly by the COVID-19 crisis.
He shared a story about a young woman who was having suicidal thoughts because of mounting school pressures and anxiety over the coronavirus. She was able to get the help she needed thanks to the “fast action of a team from Los Angeles Unified,” Beutner said. He encouraged those who are struggling with anxiety or having suicidal thoughts to call the district’s mental health crisis line, at 213-241-3840.
The superintendent also announced that LAUSD has provided about 7 million meals to families in need during the crisis through the “Grab n Go” program.
The district has also raised $4.5 million in cash and donations for relief efforts through L.A. Students most in need.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story provided the incorrect date for when schools closed. This post has been updated.