Revised Independent Study Program On Monrovia Unified Agenda

MONROVIA, CA — The Monrovia Unified School District is expected to adopt a revised independent study program for students during a special Board of Education meeting Friday.

The program would allow students who may feel hesitant about returning to campus to continue to participate in remote instruction, according to a staff report. A majority of the district’s students and staff will return to the classroom for in-person instruction when the academic year begins Aug. 18.

The special meeting will take place Friday, at 8 a.m. The meeting will be live-streamed online, and community members can submit public comment via email ahead of time.

If approved, students would have the option to take part in an independent study program on a full- or half-time basis. The district first introduced the independent study program in 1979, according to the report.

“The primary purpose for Independent Study is to offer a means of individualizing the education plan for pupils whose needs may be met best through study outside the regular classroom setting,” the staff report said. “Independent study may be used by all pupils who are motivated to achieve educationally as well as or better than they would in the regular classroom.”

The special meeting comes on the heels of Gov. Gavin Newsom announcing Wednesday that all teachers and school employees in the state must be vaccinated against COVID-19. If employees decline to get vaccinated, they will be required to take weekly COVID-19 tests to continue working.

Although some districts across California have implemented their own mandates, Newsom’s statewide order is the first of its kind in the U.S. The order goes into effect Friday.