LAUSD's planned suspension of in-person tutoring and childcare services takes effect as pandemic worsens

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A planned suspension of all in-person instruction and child care in the Los Angeles Unified School District took effect on Thursday as the number of COVID-19 cases in the region continued to shatter daily records.

The LAUSD had been providing one-on-one and small group tutoring which will now be transitioned to virtual platforms.

Superintendent Austin Beutner said the decision to temporarily suspend on-site instruction was made to protect the health and safety of the school community.

Employees who had been working at LAUSD campuses are now being asked to work from home for the remainder of the current semester.

The district said it will continue to provide meals at its school sites, along with free COVID-19 testing.

Beutner acknowledged that the return to online-only teaching will not help students that are already struggling with distance learning, especially those in high-need communities.

"Now, we make a decision like this - again, we don't take it lightly," the superintendent said in an online briefing. "We understand that there's real consequence for the families we serve. There's also real consequence for those who work in schools.

"And we want to keep everybody safe."

While the goal is to return students to campuses as soon as possible, LAUSD officials said that might not happen until the summer of 2021.

The district called on state and local officials to provide funding for summer school programs, sanitation and personal protective equipment, or PPE.