In the footsteps of Los Angeles Unified and other Southland school districts, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles announced Friday that it will close its Catholic schools in Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, and offer “remote learning” instead.
The school campuses will close Tuesday, with the closure expected to last until at least March 31.
“Our Catholic schools are an essential element of the church’s mission here in Los Angeles, and we serve nearly 75,000 students, including large numbers from low-income and immigrant communities,” Archbishop Jose Gomez said in a statement. “Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, we have been consulting with government and public health officials and working with our pastors, principals and school administrators to find the best ways to reduce the risk of infection.
“While we do not have any known cases to date, we believe that temporarily closing our schools and moving to distance-learning will help protect the public health and keep our families and neighbors safe from harm,” he said.
According to the archdiocese, its Department of Catholic School will work with individual principals to ensure schools are “prepared to maintain learning during the closure by providing resources for online and distance learning.”