LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner Aims At Reopening Preschools, Elementary Schools By April 9
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner says he hopes to have preschools and elementary schools reopen for in-person learning by April 9.
Campuses have been closed to students since last March, when COVID-19 started to spread throughout the country. Since then, LAUSD officials have been staunchly committed to reopening only when vaccines are made available to teachers and school workers.
"As difficult as it was to close school classrooms, reopening is even harder. We have to balance the learning needs of students, the support we provide to working families, and responsibility to protect the health and safety of all in the school community," Beutner said in his weekly briefing Monday. "We cannot and will not compromise on health and safety."
According to Beutner, all the health practices and protocols in place at LAUSD schools already exceed the most recent guidelines from the CDC. An April 9 reopening must also require reducing the spread of COVID-19 in the region, and vaccinate 25,000 school principals, teachers, bus drivers, custodians and librarians.
LAUSD may be able to reopen according its terms. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that as of March 1, 10% of vaccine supplies will be reserved for teachers. The union representing non-teacher workers also announced they struck an agreement with the district that will offer the vaccine to all returning school workers and also provide an extra $5 an hour of hero pay.
However, parents who are demanding that LAUSD reopen schools immediately participated in a Zoom blackout Monday to protest the continued closure of campuses.
