Coronavirus: LAUSD college-bound students to get free help with admissions during COVID-19

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles Unified School District students set to graduate high school this year will be able to connect with counselors for free to help them through the college admissions process, officials announced Thursday.

The students can describe their problems and concerns with going to college once the pandemic subsides at lacompact.org/covidcollegeconnect.

They will be contacted within 48 hours by a counselor from their high school, a representative from the college they were admitted to or other professionals to help them navigate the admissions process, Mayor Eric Garcetti said during his daily coronavirus update.

May 1 has traditionally been National College Decision Day, the deadline for high school seniors to choose which college they will attend. But many schools have extended application deadlines into the summer months.

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Garcetti said the coronavirus pandemic may not be the best time for some students to leave their families and attend college outside the Los Angeles area because some of them have become primary family income earners and caretakers of their siblings while their parents struggle to find gainful employment.

Some students have declined acceptance to colleges because of the effects the coronavirus has had on their families, Garcetti said.

"Hear me when I say that we don't want COVID-19 to take lives, but we also don't want it to steal your dreams,'' the mayor said.

Garcetti said the decision to stay home to help the family or to go to college is an "agonizing dilemma.''

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"For many, this would have been a tough call anyway, but COVID-19 makes it even more excruciating,'' Garcetti said.

The assistance is being provided by the L.A. Compact, an alliance of leaders from the education, business, government, labor and nonprofit sectors seeking to improve education.

City News Service contributed to this report.