Mayor Bass announces city support for LAUSD families in event of school closures

LOS ANGELES — Mayor Karen Bass today announced that she has authorized the following resources to be provided to support LAUSD families in the event schools are closed this week. 

“In the event Los Angeles Unified Schools are closed, we are ready to provide safe places and meals so students are cared for and parents can keep working,” said Mayor Karen Bass. “Schools are so much more than centers of education – they are a safety net for hundreds of thousands of Los Angeles families. We will make sure to do all we can to provide resources needed by the families of our city.”

Mayor Bass continues to be closely engaged with all parties involved.

CITY OF LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF RECREATION AND PARKS: 

The City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks will offer 21 Recreation Centers to serve as Grab & Go locations as part of LAUSD food distribution program Tuesday, March 21 from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. For more information visit achieve.lausd.net/schoolupdates. 

The Department is also prepared to offer a Special Edition After School Club Program at 30 recreation centers in the event of LAUSD school closures this week. The program will be FREE and available to elementary school students in 1st to 5th grades 7:30 am-6:00 pm March 21st- March 23rd. Registration will be available online on Monday, March 20th at 1 PM. Slots are first registered, first served. Due to limited space, students must be checked-in by 8:15 a.m. or will lose their registration space for the day. 

The program will include assistance with school assignments, recreation activities, lunch, and snacks. If school closures do not take place, the Special Edition After School Program will be discontinued. 

Designated Recreation Centers (RC) to serve elementary school students are as follows: 

For more information about Department of Recreation and Parks events, activities, services, programs, and facilities, visit laparks.org or call 311, or (213) 202-2700.

THE LOS ANGELES ZOO:

The Los Angeles Zoo will offer free admission to Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) students in grades K-12 as well as a “Community Safari Day” program for grades K-5, providing a safe and educational space for students in the event of a three-day LAUSD school closure from March 21- 23, 2023.

Free admission will be offered to all currently enrolled LAUSD students grades K-12, along with a $5 fee for accompanying chaperones. Students need to show proof of enrollment by presenting their school identification card, report card, school newsletter, or similar proof of enrollment. Complimentary admission will be offered only on days LAUSD schools are impacted by pending closures. Tickets must be purchased in person at the L.A. Zoo box office. This is a limited time discount and is not available online.

In addition to free admission, the L.A. Zoo will also be offering a “Community Safari Day” program for children in grades K-5. Under the supervision of the Zoo’s Learning & Engagement staff, students can spend the day engaged in fun activities and crafts while learning about their favorite animals. This program will be offered from Tuesday, March 21 through Thursday, March 23 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with extended morning (8:00 - 9:00 a.m.) and afternoon (4:00 - 5:00 p.m.) hours offered for free with paid registration. Admission is $50 per student. Space is limited and online advance registration required. In the event that school closures end, any fees paid for future dates will be refunded. No refunds will be permitted for other individual cancellations. To learn more and register, please visit www.lazoo.org/lausd.

THE LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY: 

In the event of school closures, libraries will be open normal business hours. In addition to the regularly scheduled events for kids and teens, which range from science workshops to craft programs to chess clubs, all libraries will be prepared to engage kids, teens and families with fun and educational hands-on activities such as science bingo, building-brick challenges or word games, crafts and more. The Library also offers many digital resources that can be accessed from home or library computers, including online tutoring and homework help and e-books, streaming movies, music and more. To help people get connected, our Tech2go program even allows patrons to borrow a laptop and Wi-fi hotspot for six months.

All LAUSD students already have an assigned Student Success Card to provide access to all the Library has to offer. 

For library locations, hours, programs and information, visit lapl.org.