News Update

Los Angeles Unified schools will not reopen for in-person instruction on Jan. 11

Students attending Los Angeles Unified schools will continue distance learning once the spring semester begins on Jan. 11 with no reopening timeline amid a coronavirus surge in the county and the district’s own testing program, said Superintendent Austin Beutner in a Monday statement.

The district’s testing data showed that 5% of adults with no reported symptoms or exposure and nearly 10% of children tested positive last week, up from 6% the week prior. The latest data means that 1 in 10 children being tested at schools have Covid-19. 

“It’s clear we’re a long way from reopening schools with the level of virus this high,” said Beutner in his prepared statement. “To put this in context, the 7-day daily average of new COVID cases is about 14,000 in the Los Angeles area. That number will need to drop to about 700-800 and stay there for the better part of a month before schools can consider reopening.”

Instruction will begin on Jan. 12, after teachers and school staff have had a day of professional training, Beutner said. The announcement to keep campuses closed comes days after the district and the teachers’ union, United Teachers Los Angeles, reached an agreement similar to the one put in place during the fall semester, to provide more live instruction for students next semester. The union has also indicated that a full reopening of schools won’t occur until after the matter is negotiated between the union and the district.