LAUSD has walked back their plan to extend the 2021-22 school year by two weeks after facing pushback from stakeholders all across the district.

Though there has been a significant loss of learning and reduced productivity in school communities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the LAUSD Board of Education unanimously voted to reject Superintendent Austin Beutner’s proposed extension in the last week of April.

“Here is what I keep hearing from parents and educators alike: We cannot follow the most stressful and emotionally traumatic year our learning communities have ever had with the longest school year we’ve ever had,” said UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz.

“Families need time to be together, recuperate and prepare for our new normal in the fall.”

Spanish teacher Angela Fajardo, a co-chair of Venice High’s UTLA chapter, was among those relieved to hear this news.

“I am glad the School Board listened to Educators and Parents in not extending the School Year,” she said. “We have not stopped teaching since we went virtual and now hybrid. All of us need a mental break to recharge our batteries and be effective in the fall of 2021.”