Los Angeles Unified School District schools will remain closed up until at least May 1, Superintendent Austin Beutner announced in a tweet on Monday.

Schools have been closed starting March 16 to slow the spread of the current coronavirus outbreak. The closure was initially supposed to last for two weeks.

“I wish I could tell you it will all be back to normal sometime soon but it does not look like that will be the case,” Beutner wrote on Twitter.

Teachers have resorted to online instruction through Schoology in place of traditional instruction. 

The District continues to provide Chromebooks and internet connection to students in an attempt to support more than 80 percent of those belonging to low-income families, he added.

A $100 million emergency investment has been made to support online learning for all students. Additionally, Verizon Wireless has agreed to provide free wireless internet access for any LAUSD student without it.

LAUSD will continue to prioritize distributing meals to students at their 60 grab-and-go centers, including Van Nuys High School, which provided 250,000 meals to families in the past two weeks.

Instructional programs on PBS, KCET or KCLCS can be used to supplement in-class learning, Beutner said.

“Students are learning in different ways, teachers are teaching in different ways and families are struggling to support their children in their studies while balancing other responsibilities,” Beutner wrote. 

A faculty meeting will be held Tuesday for teachers to assess how instruction will continue for the remainder of the academic year.

The school will continue to provide Chromebooks to students in need of one. They will be distributed to juniors and seniors on Thursday, and freshmen and sophomores on Friday.

This change has prompted the College Board to replace Advanced Placement (AP) testing with 45 minute online free-response exams taken at home, instead of the traditional three-hour exam with multiple choice and free-response parts. 

“In the interim, we want to continue to help all students learn and will be making a significant effort to help this happen,” he continued.