LA Schools Won't Reopen Without Widespread Testing: Beutner

LOS ANGELES, CA — The Los Angeles Unified School District won't restart without widespread testing and contact tracing for students and employees, announced Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner.

Where those tests will come from and how they will be funded remains uncertain. On the heels of Beutner's announcement, Gov. Gavin Newsom Tuesday, said the state may look into an early start for the next school year, with classes starting as early as July. Los Angeles Unified is the state's largest school district by far, and Los Angeles is the epicenter of the state's coronavirus outbreak with more than 20,000 confirmed cases. A high percentage of the district's students live below the poverty level, and many families have struggled to obtain access to online distance learning during the coronavirus shutdown. These factors all combine to create significant challenges for educators and families as the district looks for ways to reopen schools months into the pandemic.

LAUSD campuses were closed six weeks ago in hopes of thwarting the spread of COVID-19 and to adhere to stay-at-home and business-closure mandates. The district has been conducting remote classes, while also operating Grab and Go Food Centers to provide meals to students and their families.

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"We closed school facilities on March 13 so our schools did not become a petri dish and cause the virus to spread in the communities we serve," Beutner said in a public address Monday. "That has worked. We do not want to reverse that in a hasty return to schools."

Echoing comments from statewide and local officials, Beutner said a "robust" system of testing and contact tracing needs to be in place before schools can begin reopening. He noted that reopening of campuses would be a "a gradual process with a schedule and school day that may be different."

"Our 75,000-plus employees serve the needs of almost 700,000 students who live with another couple of million people. Will testing be available for all of these individuals and who will pay for it? This is the sort of challenge which lies ahead."

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.