With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today .
LAUSD Cancels Plans For Centers To Help With Childcare During Coronavirus Closure
A sign outside of Gage Middle School in Bell announces that all LAUSD schools will be closed beginning March 16. (Chava Sanchez/ LAist)
Los Angeles Unified School District officials have cancelled plans to open 40 "Family Resource Centers," where the school system had hoped to offer childcare and meals to needy students during the district's two-week shutdown.
On Monday evening, LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner said public health authorities couldn't guarantee the centers would be safe — either for children or for staff — as the coronavirus spreads.
"I cannot ask anyone to work at one of the centers, or open them to children, unless we can be assured of their safety," Beutner wrote in a letter.
Update on March 16th.
— Austin Beutner (@AustinLASchools) March 17, 2020
Actualización del 16 de marzo. pic.twitter.com/xxc1b1AcxO
Support for LAist comes from
LAUSD leaders have previously acknowledged the plans for the Family Resource Centers came with some risk. When Beutner announced the plans last week, he had said all visitors would have their temperature checked to ensure anyone with possible COVID-19 symptoms wouldn't be admitted.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has urged schools to make efforts to continue to provide social services to students. His executive order says schools must make efforts to "arrange for supervision for students during ordinary school hours … to the extent practicable."
So LAUSD is making a new plan.
Instead, the district plans to open 60 "Grab and Go Food Centers" starting on Wednesday. On weekdays from 7 to 10 a.m., each student will be able to take home two meals daily from these sites.
MORE ON CORONAVIRUS:
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
