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

  • DFW-Area District Opens New Replacement Middle School

    The Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District near Fort Worth, Texas, recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new replacement middle school campus, according to a news release. The new facility for Wayside Middle School, originally established in 1964, was built on the site of the former district administration building and funded through Bond Proposition A in 2023.

  • blurry image capturing students navigating crowded hallways between classes

    How Human Behavior Data Is Reshaping Campus Facilities Management

    The ebb and flow of students, faculty, and administrators across a campus have a larger impact on maintenance, cleaning, and sustainability than many realize.

  • New Arizona Fine Arts School Reaches Construction Milestone

    Construction of the new Hilltop School for the Arts and Theater in Litchfield Park, Ariz., recently hit a significant milestone, according to a news release. The Agua Fria High School District held a beam-signing ceremony to celebrate the building’s topping out, or the placement of its last structural beam.

  • LSU Breaks Ground on $200M Residential Project

    Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La., recently broke ground on a new residential complex, according to university news. The South Quad residential project will consist of two buildings and add a total of 1,266 beds for freshmen students. The development comes with a price tag of $200 million, and it’s scheduled to open to students in fall 2027.