None of the 730,000 students from Los Angeles United School District will receive "F" grade in their report card due to coronavirus pandemic. The announcement was made through press briefing by Superintendent Austin Beutner from his home on Monday. He also discussed difficulties that school facilities are facing as stress and anxiety continue to pile up due to the outbreak.
Last week, Beutner received a message from a girl saying that she is having suicidal thoughts due to the school pressure and chaos around her. He mentioned that he understands that COVID-19 has had a very real impact on the students of his districts. The girl is receiving care as she was taken to hospital by a team from Los Angeles United.
"Students can work to improve their grades, but we don't want to penalize those who may not have access to technology or may be experiencing difficulties at home," Beutner said. The policy of not issuing "F" grade was confirmed by Chief Academic Officer Alison Yoshimoto-Towery. According to the Los Angeles Times, he had a discussion with educators who believe that ability of students to learn can be impacted by economic hardships within families.
80% of students belong to low-income families
Dorsey High School senior Amee Meza said that it is unfair for children to deal with global pandemic and schoolwork simultaneously. Around 80 percent of the students in the district belong to low-income families which leads to inaccessibility and inability for them to learn as compared to other students. So, the authorities decided that there should be passing for all the classes.
All the campuses have been closed in Los Angeles for the remaining of the academic year. Guidance on when "it is safe to reopen" will be provided by State and local health authorities to school facilities. "There is still no clear picture in testing, treatments or vaccines and we will not reopen school facilities until state authorities tell us it is safe and appropriate to do so," Beutner added during the press briefing. California is the fifth most affected region in the United States as the number of cases confirmed has reached 24,371 and 731 people died due to coronavirus so far.
