97% Of LAUSD Teachers Have Met Monday's COVID Vaccine Deadline

Los Angeles CA

15 October, 2021

10:22 PM

Description

LOS ANGELES, CA — With the Monday deadline looming for Los Angeles Unified teachers and staffers to get at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, the district reported 97% compliance among teachers and administrators. Classified supervisors, such as administrative assistants, plant managers and cafeteria managers have a slightly lower compliance rate at 95%. LAUSD employees must be vaccinated or have an approved exemption in order to continue working. After extending the deadline this week, the district managed to avoid a massive staffing disruption, the numbers indicate. The staffers loaded their vaccination status into the district's Daily Pass system, the remaining 3 to 5 percent of employees will have the weekend to get a first shot or be barred from working. The district will hold vaccination clinics over the weekend to help the remaining employees come into compliance. It was unclear how many lower-level district employees had met the mandate. Also unknown was how many district employees have sought exemptions to the vaccine requirement. Although Friday was the previously announced deadline for employees to obtain at least one dose, district officials indicated that employees will be able to continue working as long as they upload their information before Monday. LAUSD will be holding walk-in vaccination clinics at its six local district offices on Saturday and Sunday, providing not only the shots but technical support to help employees upload the information into the Daily Pass system. The clinics will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. both days at: -- Central, 2328 St. James Place; -- East, 2151 N. Soto St.; -- Northeast, 8401 Arleta Ave., Sun Valley; -- Northwest, 6621 Balboa Blvd., Lake Balboa; -- South, 1208 Magnolia Ave., Gardena; and -- West, 11380 W. Graham Place. The district had originally set Oct. 15 as the deadline for all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Earlier this week, however, the district agreed to delay the timeline, requiring proof of only one dose by Friday, with the second mandated by Nov. 15. Workers who do not have the single dose reported by Monday will be unable to return to work, however, they will not be subject to termination until Nov. 1. Any employees who fail to receive the second dose by Nov. 15 will be "subject to separation from district service." All district students and employees will continue to take part in weekly COVID testing through the end of the semester. LAUSD students age 12 and older who take part in in-person extracurricular programs were required to receive their first dose by Oct. 3 and their second no later than Oct. 31. All other students aged 12 and up must receive their first dose by Nov. 21, and their second by Dec. 19. Younger students will have to receive their first dose no later than 30 days after their 12th birthday, and their second dose no later than eight weeks after turning 12. The mandate applies to all district students, along with charter school students on co-located district school facilities. Students "with qualified and approved exemptions under LAUSD's existing immunization policies" will be exempt. City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.