LOS ANGELES (KNX) — As the pandemic continues and students have not fully complied with the Los Angeles Unified School District's vaccination mandate, district officials are voting Tuesday on whether or not to create six new online programs to accommodate thousands of students who are either not vaccinated or wish to learn remotely for health purposes.
Just over 86% of students ages 12 and older were fully vaccinated as of Dec. 10, 2021, according to a district report. Based on those numbers, LAUSD decided to hold off on it’s vaccination mandate to avoid “a logistical nightmare” according to the L.A. Daily News.
Following through on the mandate and having it take effect as planned in January, would have meant transferring thousands of unvaccinated students to online-only instruction — something that the district just can’t accommodate right now. As it stands, the mandate has been pushed back to Fall 2022.
Currently, LAUSD’s only independent learning program is City of Angels. The program typically enrolls around 1,800 students — but had to accommodate for 16,000 this year, the L.A. Daily News reported.
Based on those numbers, district staff are urging the board to consider creating six new online programs for students, to ensure that the quality of education isn’t diminished by an overwhelmed system.
“For the 2022-2023 school year and beyond, Los Angeles Unified has an opportunity to pave a new path for TK-12 online learning,” the report, quoted by the L.A. Daily News, stated.
“By creating up to six new online schools, students whose parents choose the independent study option will have a variety of quality online school options with the opportunity to select an option that matches their interests.”
KNX reached out to LAUSD for a copy of the report, but was told to listen in on the board’s Tuesday meeting to learn more. To watch with us at 1 p.m., click here.
If instated, the six new programs would not be solely for unvaccinated students, according to LAUSD Board President Kelly Gonez.
Gonez told the news outlet that it would be structured so that students who preferred the online learning structure or who had immunocompromised relatives and could not attend in-person learning could also enroll.
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