Updated on December 21, 2020 at 11:51 am
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Los Angeles Unified School District campuses will remain off-limits to students when the new school year begins in January due to the continued community surge of COVID-19, Superintendent Austin Beutner said Monday. While we re working toward a safe reopening as soon as possible, given these numbers and the state s health guidelines, it will not be possible for us to reopen school campuses by the time next semester starts on Jan. 11, Beutner said. We ll remain in online-only mode until community health conditions improve significantly.
There was very little hope that schools would be returning to in- person learning in any fashion in January, so Beutner s comments came as no surprise. The district last week announced a new labor agreement with United Teachers Los Angeles, extending the protocols for distance learning through the upcoming semester.
By City News Service
Dec 18, 2020
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Members of the United Teachers Los Angeles stated today that they have come to an agreement with school district officials on a plan for distanced learning in the spring semester but some details remain to be worked out.
UTLA officials announced that at 2:30 p.m., they will speak about an agreement with Los Angeles Unified School District on plans to return to distanced learning, as well as meetings regarding plans to resume in-person learning.
Per the agreement, the school district and UTLA-represented employees will begin work on Jan. 11 on the new plans for distanced learning. LAUSD officials said that by Jan. 24, the district will discuss plans with UTLA on how to plan for students return to in-person instruction, abiding by county health orders.
“We are continuing to work through all of the details on how to provide the best possible education when students are able to return to campuses,” LAUSD Superintendent, Austin Beutner said. “To put it mildly, this is not simple, as we have to balance the need for as much in-person instruction with protecting the health and safety of all in the school community in 1,400 schools with about 650,000 students and 75,000 employees all spread across 700 square miles.”
Students identified as needing in-person instruction will be prioritized to return to campuses first, LAUSD stated.
In the meantime, however, classes will remain online. The contract agreement announced Friday largely mirrors the one that was already in place for the fall, but that pact was set to expire at the end of the year. The new deal will be in place until June 30, or until school campuses are allowed to reopen.
LAUSD, teachers union reach pact on continued distance learning
Published article
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 08: Empty Hollywood High hallway on September 08, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES - With Los Angeles Unified campuses remaining largely closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the district and its teachers union have extended their labor agreement governing distance learning, with the pact including additional office hours and up to 30 more minutes of instruction time on Mondays.
According to the district and United Teachers Los Angeles, negotiations will resume in January over plans for hybrid instruction a mix of in-person and online learning if the pandemic eases to the point of select students being permitted to return to campuses.
Mayor Eric Garcetti said hospital officials are telling him and his staff that if Los Angeles continues on its upward trend of COVID-19 hospitalizations through Christmas, the medical facilities will go under. Health care workers throughout Los Angeles are reaching their breaking point. They are understaffed, overworked and inundated with patients fighting for their lives, Sal Rosselli, president of the National Union of Healthcare Workers, said in a statement. COVID-19 cannot be allowed to spread following the December holidays the way it spread after Thanksgiving. We all have to work together to keep this from getting worse, and that starts with people having the financial security to stay home.