LAUSD superintendent stresses return To classrooms in fall

Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner stressed again Tuesday that all students will be able to return to campuses full-time in the fall, insisting the classroom is the ideal place for kids to further their education.

“The best place for students do learn is a classroom at school, and we’ll continue to do all we can to make sure school classrooms are as safe as possible,” Beutner said during his weekly address to the LAUSD community.

He reiterated that the district has implemented “the highest set of safety standards of any school district in the nation” to protect against COVID-19, pointing to upgraded air-filtration systems, sanitation efforts and ample supplies of protective equipment.

Beutner said students and staff will still be required to wear masks “until more children have been vaccinated.”

“But August is still three months away, and we can’t predict exactly what standards health authorities will tell us are appropriate at that time,” he said. “You can rest assured Los Angeles Unified will continue to meet or exceed all state and local health guidelines and will continue to maintain the highest standard of safety of any school district in the nation. We will do what’s necessary and appropriate to protect the health and safety of all in the school community.”

Beutner said last week he expects the vast majority of students, teachers and staff to be at school every day starting in August, but there will be an online option for those who are unable or choose not to return to the classroom.

School campuses, which closed due to the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, began reopening again this spring on a limited or hybrid digital basis with rigorous safety standards in place, as well as a COVID-19 testing program. Vaccines are available for eligible students.

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