LUSD extends its closures, readies for remote lessons

LODI — Lodi Unified School District announced Wednesday afternoon that schools will remain closed through April 17. The district originally planned to reopen on April 6.

In the meantime, the district said its teachers were spending the week preparing remote learning materials and activities for students.

The materials will be provided to families throughout the district on March 31, officials said. They can currently be accessed online at https://bit.ly/2J6WVes,

the district said.

In addition, the district is working in a process to allow families to pickup new Chromebooks for students. Updates on how to pickup the Chromebooks should be sent to families soon, the district said.

“As this is a rapidly changing situation, the district will continue to provide any updated schedule information as it becomes available,” the district posted on its Facebook page. “Our district continues to communicate with SJCOE and local and state health officials. We understand that this timeline could be extended based on the status of this health crisis.”

The decision to extend LUSD school closures comes from a recommendation made by the San Joaquin County Office of Education Wednesday.

“During this unprecedented public health emergency, it is our responsibility to ensure the safety of our children, our families, and our entire community,” County Superintendent of School James Mousalimas said in a media statement.

“Extending current school closures will help prevent the transmission of COVID-19, which is essential to protecting the most vulnerable members of our community and reducing the potential strain on our health care system,” he added.

Schools are scheduled to reopen April 20.

For updates from LUSD, visit www.lodiusd.net.