For the 2020-21 school year, public school districts throughout the State of California are completing a Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan (Learning Continuity Plan or LCP), in place of the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP). Understanding that the needs of schools during the pandemic vary from normal times, the California Department of Education (CDE), following the legislation created with the passage of Senate Bill (SB) 98, calls on all districts to specify how they are meeting the needs of their students.

The Learning Continuity Plan template memorializes the planning process already underway for the 2020–21 school year and includes descriptions of the following: addressing gaps in learning; conducting meaningful stakeholder engagement; maintaining transparency; addressing the needs of unduplicated pupils, students with unique needs, and students experiencing homelessness; providing access to necessary devices and connectivity for distance learning; providing resources and supports to address student and staff mental health and social emotional well-being; and continuing to provide school meals for students.

The LCP is a key part of the overall budget package for K-12 that seeks to address funding stability for schools while providing information at the local educational agency (LEA) level for how student learning continuity will be addressed during the COVID-19 crisis in the 2020–21 school year. The provisions for the plan were approved by the Governor and Legislature in June in SB 98 and can be found in EC Section 43509.