LA County Parks, Libraries To Be Considered For 'Alternative Learning Sites'
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – With school campuses shuttered throughout Los Angeles County to start the fall semester due to the coronavirus pandemic, parks and libraries are being considered as "alternative learning sites" for students when the new academic year begins next month.
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved a motion that will explore the use of county parks and libraries in unincorporated areas of L.A. County as "safe spaces children can spend the school day if they cannot do their distance learning at home," according to a news release from Supervisor Janice Hahn, who proposed the idea.
The motion calls for the L.A. County Public Library system, Internal Services Department and Office of Education to put together a plan and report back to the board in 30 days.
Hahn noted the county's ability to run full and half-day summer camps at its parks during the pandemic in support of the motion.
She also said that county parks have Wi-Fi access which would allow students there to engage in online learning.
All 86 L.A. County libraries have been closed since the pandemic took hold in mid-March, with several only offering curbside pickup for holds.
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Gov. Gavin Newsom announced July 17 that public and private schools in all California counties on the state's coronavirus monitoring list – which includes Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura – will start the fell semester with distance learning only due to the surge in coronavirus cases.
As of Tuesday, 34 counties are on the state's watchlist due to their number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
Newsom says counties must be off the state's monitoring list for 14 consecutive days before public and private schools can physically reopen.
Prior to Newsom's announcement, several school districts in Southern California had already reported they would start out the year remotely, including LAUSD, San Diego, Pasadena, Glendale, Long Beach, Santa Ana, and most school districts in Ventura County.
