November 9, 2024 #1 Local News, Information and Event Source for the Century City/Westwood areas.

LAUSD Announces Coronavirus Contingency Plans

By Sam Catanzaro

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has announced a plan in partnership with PBS SoCal and KCET to provide for continuity of learning for students in the event of a significant number of schools closures due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

As of Thursday, there are 32 cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County. According to LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner, none of the known cases have any known connection to LAUSD schools.

“We are implementing, effective immediately, a series of steps based on recommendations from public health officials. All large student and staff gatherings are cancelled, as well as off-campus visits by students and staff to public places where crowds gather. Student events and competitions may continue, though, without spectators,” Beutner said.

According to LAUSD, the partnership with local media will provide 700,000 local students educational resources via television broadcast in the event of significant school closures.

LAUSD says the plan is for all students to have access to free educational resources at home provided by the local public media organizations, both on-air and online, regardless of their broadband access.

“We want to continue to provide the best possible education for our students, even in the event of a significant number of school closures for an extended period of time,” said Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Austin Beutner. “So we asked PBS to work with us with a simple goal: We know what good looks like, let’s find a way to share it with our students.”

The public media organizations are collaborating with Los Angeles Unified to create a schedule by working with curriculum leads in subjects such as math and history and developing new online resources that will adhere to the state curriculum, according to the district.

While LAUSD remains in session, Santa Monica College (SMC), the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District and many private schools are switching to remote learning as of Wednesday.

In a Wednesday evening news release, SMC said it was temporarily transitioning most in-person classes to a remote learning environment, effective Wednesday, March 18. According to SMC, there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus at SMC.

SMC classes will be canceled Friday, March 13 through Tuesday, March 17 to allow time for faculty members, staff and students to prepare for the transition to remote teaching.

SMC remains open for business and most campus operations are continuing. Certain classes that require in-person instruction — some laboratory, physical education and performing arts courses— will continue to meet on campus as scheduled, according to the college.

In addition, SMC has suspended in-person classes and activities at SMC Emeritus saying there will be no in-person classes until further notice. Some Emeritus classes will resume via remote methods, says the college.

K-12 school Crossroads also announced that it will be conducting remote learning. The school is closed to students Thursday, March 12 and Friday, March 13 to allow staff and faculty time to finalize their remote learning plans.

“We want to stress that there are no known cases of any Crossroads community member having been exposed to COVID-19,” the school said in a statement. “We will continue to monitor events over the next two days and remain in close contact will local health officials, doctors and other advisers to help us make a socially responsible decision. We will let our community know by the end of the day Friday whether School will reopen on Monday or if we will proceed with remote learning.”

Both the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District and the Los Angeles Unified School District remain in session as of Thursday.

On Wednesday, health officials announced the first death from the virus. The individual (a non-resident visiting friends) was an older adult who traveled extensively over the past month, including a long layover in South Korea.

According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health), the total number of cases in Los Angeles County is 28 as of Thursday.

Related Posts

Governor Newsom Convenes Special Session to Protect California Rights Against Future Federal Policies

November 7, 2024

November 7, 2024

Special Session Called To Defend Civil Rights, Reproductive Freedom, Climate Initiatives Governor Gavin Newsom has announced a special session of...

Elon Musk and Grimes House Hunt in Bel-Air for Property Amid Reports of “Family Compound”

November 7, 2024

November 7, 2024

Billionaire and His Former Partner Are Reportedly Searching for a Los Angeles Mansion Billionaire Elon Musk and his former partner,...

Megacity Review: Genaro Trejo’s Global Platform for Urban Arts and Literature Launches in Los Angeles’ Westside

November 7, 2024

November 7, 2024

Santa Monica, CA – A new voice has arrived on the Los Angeles literary scene with the launch of Megacity...

Chinese Chemical Company and Executives Indicted for Allegedly Fueling Fentanyl Crisis in Los Angeles

November 7, 2024

November 7, 2024

U.S. DOJ Charges Hubei Aoks Bio-Tech and Executives With 13 Counts  A federal grand jury has indicted Hubei Aoks Bio-Tech...

Starbucks Kicks Off the Holidays with Festive Cups, New Drinks, and a Special Surprise

November 6, 2024

November 6, 2024

Returning Classics, Cran-Merry Refreshers, and Expanded Pastry Selections on Thursday Starbucks is ringing in the holiday season with the return...

Lei’d Cookies in Culver City Offers Sweet In-Store Discount For a Challenging Week

November 6, 2024

November 6, 2024

Handcrafted Flavors, Community Spirit: Enjoy Lei’d Cookies’ Limited-Time Offer Lei’d Cookies, a popular dessert spot in Culver City’s Hayden Tract...

Thanksgiving 2024: The Best Places to Order Your Holiday Pies in Los Angeles

November 6, 2024

November 6, 2024

Get Ready for Your Thanksgiving Dinner With the Best Desserts November is the official start of the holiday season and...

L.A. County Election Results: Preliminary Counts as of 4:00 a.m. Wednesday Morning

November 6, 2024

November 6, 2024

Westside Residents Weigh on Representatives, Ballot Measures, Judges and More As of 1:05 a.m., voters in Los Angeles County weighed...

Police Seek Suspect in Vandalism of Jewish-Owned Businesses in L.A.’s Pico-Robertson Neighborhood

November 5, 2024

November 5, 2024

Authorities Investigate Series of Early Morning Attacks as Hate Crime Police are actively searching for a suspect accused of vandalizing...

High Alert: L.A. County Braces for Extreme Fire Weather and Powerful Winds

November 5, 2024

November 5, 2024

Residents Urged To Prepare as Red Flag Warning Goes into Effect  The Los Angeles County Fire Department, Sheriff’s Department, and...

The Willows: 30 Years Going Strong

November 5, 2024

November 5, 2024

Founded in 1994, The Willows Community School, located in Culver City, California, is a Developmental Kindergarten through 8th grade non-profit, co-educational...

The Hammer Museum Opens as Vote Center for 2024 Presidential Election

November 5, 2024

November 5, 2024

Voters Can Cast Ballots or Drop off Mail-in Ballots at the Hammer The Hammer Museum will serve as an official...

Election Day Freebies and Discounts: Where to Eat, Drink, and Watch Election Results

November 4, 2024

November 4, 2024

From Free Doughnuts To Watch Parties, How To Unwind With Election Night Deals With this election day being one of...

DuPont Clinic Issues a Statement After City of Beverly Hills is Held Accountable By CA Attorney General Bonta

November 4, 2024

November 4, 2024

AG Rob Bonta Intervenes in Unprecedented Case, Defending Abortion Access Attorney General Rob Bonta launched an investigation after reports that...

Legendary Music Icon Quincy Jones Dies at 91 in Bel Air

November 4, 2024

November 4, 2024

Celebrated Musician, Producer Leaves an Indelible Legacy By Dolores Quintana Legendary musician, music producer, film and television producer, composer of...