The heartbreaking news that 15,000 Los Angeles high school students have been completely absent for two weeks is exactly the outcome that advocates for “have not” students feared when the L.A. Unified School District moved to an online instructional model.

Schools and districts across the country have found it extremely difficult to maintain learning opportunities during this unprecedented nationwide shutdown. And near and far, parents, teachers, and administrators committed to preserving continuity of learning for their students are all facing the daunting task of launching new models on the fly, with no time to plan.