Los Angeles County Will Not Consider School Re-opening Waivers, Per State Guidance

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health will adhere to new guidance from the California Department of Public Health, which recommends that Counties with case rates at or above 200 cases per 100,000 residents do not extend waivers for the re-opening of classroom instruction for students in grades TK- 6.

Los Angeles County’s case rate currently is 355 per 100,000 and we will not be considering waiver applications, at this point in time.

We know that to many families, this is a disappointing announcement, but it’s based on the existing science and data that is guiding all of our decision-making. We need to ensure the health and safety of our children, school teachers and staff and all of their families.

This decision will be reconsidered once the case rate falls to the levels recommended by the State.

The Department of Public Health will continue to work with all of our partners across the County to implement the infection control strategies we know effectively reduce community transmission and case rates so that schools can re-open for in-person instruction as soon as the data and science tell us it’s safe to do so.

While all schools, public and private, across the County are closed for in-person instruction of students, teachers, staff and administrators are allowed to return to school buildings provided adults adhere to existing protocols that require physical distancing and infection control measures, including wearing face coverings.