LAUSD suspends in-person tutoring, childcare services as region sees rise in COVID-19 cases

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- All in-person instruction and childcare programs for students within the Los Angeles Unified School District have been suspended as the region continues to see a rise in COVID-19 cases, Superintendent Austin Beutner announced Monday.

Although school campuses generally remain closed across the county, LAUSD had been offering one-on-one and small-group tutoring in person for students but those services will now shift to online.

The district is also temporarily suspending childcare, which had been provided for the children of school-based employees and high-needs families, as well as athletic conditioning programs for student athletes.

These changes are expected to take effect by Thursday, Dec. 10.

The district will continue to operate its Grab & Go Food Centers, which have distributed more than 85 million meals to students and their families during the pandemic.

"When we make a decision like this, again, we don't take lightly. We understand there is real consequence for the families we serve. There's also real consequences for those who work in schools," Beutner said during a virtual press conference

The superintendent acknowledged the online learning experience for most students pales in comparison to in-person education, but says federal relief is needed.

Meanwhile, UTLA, the L.A. teachers union is bargaining on hybrid schedules in case schools do reopen in the 2021 school year. Among the issued the union is fighting for: to protect teachers from focusing on both virtual and in-person classroom instruction at the same time.

"It's complicated...With 1,400 schools, 75,000 people that work for us across 700 square miles. It's not simple," Beutner said.

Despite the challenges that have been poised by the pandemic, UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz said there are many people who have been stepping up to fill in the educational gaps from home.

"Every day there are stories about the incredible work of educators and parents, grandparents and siblings who are our critical partners in the virtual learning communities we've built together," she said.

City News Service contributed to this report.