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

  • FGCU Breaks Ground on New Health Sciences Building

    Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) has launched construction on a major new academic facility that leaders say will reshape healthcare education in Southwest Florida for decades to come, according to university news.

  • Utah Valley University Opens New Engineering Building

    Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, recently held a grand-opening ceremony for the new Scott M. Smith Engineering Building, according to a news release. The facility is one of the largest engineering buildings in the state at almost 200,000 square feet, and it plays home to the university’s Smith College of Engineering and Technology (SCET).

  • Construction Begins on New University Research Vessel

    Boat-building company All American Marine recently announced that it has begun construction on a new catamaran research vessel for the University of Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI) in Port Aransas, Texas, according to a news release.

  • UTampa Breaks Ground on STEM Academic Facility

    The University of Tampa in Tampa, Fla., recently broke ground on one of its largest academic facilities ever, according to a news release. The Dickey Science Innovation Center will measure 153,000 square feet and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.