LOS ANGELES—Today, Nov. 15, is the deadline for Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, with those who fail to meet the requirement facing possible termination.
It was not immediately known how many LAUSD employees have not yet complied with the mandate. An LAUSD representative said data was still being compiled.
In October, however, the district reported that 99 percent of district administrators and 99 percent of classroom teachers had loaded their vaccination status into the district’s Daily Pass reporting system, along with 97 percent of classified supervisors, such as administrative assistants, plant managers, and cafeteria managers, and 97 percent of all district employees.
According to the district’s website, employees who fail to meet the vaccination requirement may face “disciplinary action, including but not limited to placement on unpaid leave and/or separation from service.”
The district’s mandate does allow for employees to seek medical or religious exemptions.
LAUSD required employees to have at least one dose of vaccine by Oct. 15, and receive both by Nov. 15.
School board member Jackie Goldberg told KNX Newsradio Monday that workers who miss the Monday deadline and are terminated will still be able to get vaccinated and possibly get their jobs back.
“Even if they’ve been dismissed, if they get vaccinated and they apply to be rehired within a certain period of time, if there’s a vacancy in their field, which there very well may be, they will be rehired,” she said.
The district issued a statement last month saying, “Our charge remains clear: Los Angeles Unified is committed to providing your child with the best possible education in the safest possible environment. We know children learn and thrive best with in-person instruction where they can interact with their teachers and classmates, participate in extracurricular activities and access the academic and social-emotional supports they deserve.”
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 district is recommending, but not mandating COVID-19 shots for students aged 5–11.
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.
