Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

LA and San Diego Schools to Hold Online-Only Classes in The Fall

  • By Yvonne Marquez
  • 07/13/20

Los Angeles Unified School District and San Diego Unified School District announced they will not reopen for in-person classes next month due to increasing COVID-19 cases.

“Those countries that have managed to safely reopen schools have done so with declining infection rates and on-demand testing available,” a joint statement from the two districts said. “California has neither. The skyrocketing infection rates of the past few weeks make it clear the pandemic is not under control.”

LA Unified and San Diego Unified school districts are the largest in California, and together serve about 825,000 students. The students will continue to learn remotely as they did during the end of last school year. LA begins the new school year Aug. 18 and San Diego begins on Aug. 31.

The announcement comes as California’s death toll from the coronavirus rose to more than 7,000 and averages more than 8,000 new cases a day. In addition, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced sweeping rollbacks on reopening plans by closing indoor operations for restaurants, wineries, movie theaters, and zoos and ordering bars to close completely.

In Los Angeles, 83% of about 18,000 teachers union members said schools should remain closed in the fall, according to a survey by United Teachers Los Angeles. The California Teachers Association sent a letter to Gov. Newsom expressing their concerns, stating “Simply said, California cannot reopen schools unless they are safe.”

More information about LA’s online instruction and plans for the upcoming school year will be finalized the first week of August. Both districts continue to plan for a return to in-person learning during the 2020-2021 school year, “as soon as public health conditions allow.”

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Massachusetts K–12 District Selects Architect for New Junior High

    Swansea Public Schools in Swansea, Mass., recently announced that it has selected Finegold Alexander Architects to design a new junior high school for the district, according to a news release. The firm will create the Feasibility Study and Schematic Design for Joseph Case Junior High School after a lengthy selection process by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).

  • Houston-Area High School Breaks Ground on 117,000SF Multi-Use Facility

    North Shore Senior High School, part of Galena Park ISD in Houston, Texas, recently broke ground on a new multi-use facility for student extracurriculars, according to a news release. The North Shore Multi-Use Facility will include dedicated practice and training space for the school’s athletics and fine arts programs.

  • Illinois State University Breaks Ground on College of Fine Arts Transformation

    Illinois State University in Normal, Ill., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts transformation project, according to university news. The series of new constructions and renovations will upgrade spaces in Centennial East, the Center for the Visual Arts, and the Center for the Performing Arts, as well as replace the existing Centennial West facility with a new Commons Building.

  • Northeastern University Breaks Ground on New Housing Community

    Northeastern University recently announced the groundbreaking of a new student housing community on its campus in Boston, Mass., according to a news release. The university is partnering with American Campus Communities (ACC) for development of the project, which will have the capacity for 1,200 students and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.