Five Percent of LA Community College District Classes Won't Go Online

After a two-week suspension of all classes, the Los Angeles Community College District is scheduled to resume with online instruction on March 30.

But there are certain courses that can’t easily be transitioned to online instruction, like stage production and lighting. With no practical alternative, the district announced today that classes that require hands-on, in-person instruction, will be suspended at least through May 4.

Those courses represent about 5% of all of the courses offered on the district's nine campuses. The LACCD semester is scheduled to end on June 8.

“We will recover from this global health emergency,” district Chancellor Francisco Rodriguez said in a press release. “Don’t let this current situation take you off your path -- hang with us, as we are doing everything we can to position you for success.”

The district didn't say how many students are enrolled in those classes. Community college leaders are bracing themselves for some to drop out either because their classes won’t transfer to online instruction or because the students don't have the resources to shift to online learning.

Under an executive order announced last Friday by California Community Colleges Chancellor Eloy Oakley, students who drop classes because of the coronavirus crisis will not be academically penalized for early withdrawal and will have more of their tuition and fees reimbursed.

Details on how to withdraw are included in the district's press release: