California schools will likely be closed for the remainder of the school year amid the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said Tuesday.
“I don’t want to mislead you,” Newsom told a group of parents and educators in a press conference Tuesday afternoon. Schools responsible for about 85 percent of California students have shuttered in response to the pandemic, according to the Los Angeles Times.
On Tuesday, the Los Angeles school district announced it would increase the use of “grab and go” food services for children who might otherwise have no access to food. The district, the second largest in the nation, will make food available to parents and students at 60 locations, the newspaper reported.
“These are not ordinary days, and we know many of our students still need help,” Superintendent Austin Beutner said Tuesday. “So our goal is to help as many as we can.”
The news comes the same day Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) announced all the state’s schools would be closed through the end of the school year in response to the virus.
“I am ordering all K-12 to close and cease in-person instruction for the duration of the 2019-2020 semester,” Kelly said at a Tuesday press conference. “As Kansans, we have always done what is necessary to protect our families. This moment is no different,” she added.