While school is ready to go back into session, many kids will continue online learning but it was still up in the air for teachers. The Los Angeles Unified School District and the teachers union have reached a tentative agreement on distance learning so that they'll be able to resume classes later this month. The man question was if teachers needed to be physically present in their classrooms in order to provide remote instruction while their students stayed home. The teachers had objected to requiring their physical presence out of concerns for health and safety. The agreement says that teachers will have the option to teach from their classrooms, but it's not mandatory. The school year starts on August 17th and the first two days will be dedicated to teacher preparation and development. Then, teachers will make introductions and go over procedures with students and parents on August 19th before going into the "smart start" to the school year from Aug. 20-28, which will include time to go over the technology to be used for instruction.
The school day will be Tuesday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. while Mondays are designated as instructional support days. There will be extra resources available for students, including one-on-one tutoring online and at school, including Saturday mornings. Staff will also be available for additional instruction online and in-person outside of school hours. This deal still has to be ratified by union membership and the school board, but if approved then the deal will remain in effect until December 31, 2020 or until students are allowed to physically return to campus.
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