Los Angeles Unified School District superintendent Austin Beutner announced Monday schools will stay closed for in-person instruction through summer due to the coronavirus pandemic.
During a video update and using a follow-up graphic in both Spanish and English on Twitter, Beutner outlined that summer school will operate remotely. Headphones are being provided to all high school students for online learning, and 51% of teachers have completed additional training for it. State and local health authorities will be expected to provide guidance on when it is safe to reopen facilities.
The schools, according to the announcement, have provided more than seven million meals. A mental health hotline is also open.
The announcements came exactly one month after the district, the country’s second-largest, initially announced it would be closing down. At the time, Beutner said the shutdown was going to last at least two weeks: “Effective Monday, March 16, we will close all Los Angeles Unified public schools for two weeks while we evaluate the appropriate path forward. While our school facilities will be closed, plans are in place for students to continue to learn during this time, and we will open 40 family resource centers to provide care for children if families need it.”