Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner said Monday that classes will remain closed through the summer, with distance learning continuing through the summer session.
The Los Angeles Unified School District will conduct classes online for the rest of the school year and will not issue any failing grades for the spring semester, and campus closures will continue through the summer, Superintendent Austin Beutner said Tuesday.
“Students can work to improve their grades, but we don't want to penalize those who may not have had access to technology or may be experiencing difficulties at home,” Beutner said, explaining why students won't see their existing grades drop.
LAUSD schools have been closed for nearly a month, and Beutner said the district is working on holding a virtual graduation for high school seniors this year, but district officials are gathering input from students on how they'd like to proceed.
Summer classes will also be held online in four-week blocks. Beutner said he will give an update on those programs in the near future.
Beutner also said LAUSD is working with community colleges to help students get from high school to college so they do not miss any important credits they need.
“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. “Like many issues at this time, we're trying to find a balance between helping students continue to learn and the sometimes harsh realities the crisis is bringing to the lives to so many of the students and families we serve.”
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Beutner said the district has been working with Amazon to improve online connections for students on certain platforms, as the original software was not built to handle 500,000 students using it at once.
The superintendent said about $4.5 million has been raised to help provide meals for families through its Grab and Go program, which has amounted to more than 7 million provided since schools were closed.
People can text NEED to 76278 or visit lastudentsmostinneed.org to donate and for more information.
