Large School Districts Commit to Online Learning (So What Will They Need from You?)

Major U.S. school districts have committed to 100% online learning in the fall. But will they need the assistance from AV integrators?

Leave a Comment
Large School Districts Commit to Online Learning (So What Will They Need from You?)

Our sister site Campus Safety has reported some major U.S. school districts have announced they’ll start the upcoming school year completely online. We’re wondering what integrators can do right now to help them with the speed bumps that will likely occur.

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD), which have approximately 720,000 students combined, made the announcement Monday that they won’t be bringing students back to classrooms when school starts next month, reports ABC News.

School officials said the decision was made due to a rise in coronavirus hospitalizations and infection rates in the state. Los Angeles County has more coronavirus cases than any other county in the state.

“There’s a public health imperative to keep schools from becoming a petri dish,” said LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner. “The health and safety of all in the school community is not something we can compromise.”

In a letter to parents, SDUSD Superintendent Cindy Marten said nothing has been decided beyond beginning the academic year with online learning. On Aug. 10, an update will be provided on the possibility of returning to in-person learning.

“We will get back there, but we just can’t start there,” she wrote.

Both the state Department of Education and the Department of Public health released guidance for districts to follow when reopening, including temperature checks, reorganizing activities such as lunch and recess, and requiring face coverings.

However, LAUSD and SDUSD officials are not pleased with the guidelines, describing them as “vague and contradictory.”

How can integration firms help schools follow these guidelines and smooth out the bumps in the road that will surely occur with all these kids trying to access online learning?

Read Next: How U.S. Schools Can Safely Reopen During: Watch these Campus Safety Presentations

If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our digital newsletters!