LOS ANGELES (KNX) — As of Monday, all Los Angeles Unified School District students who are 12-year-old and older should have their first COVID-19 shot.
LAUSD School board member Nick Melvoin told KNX 1070 the deadline was set for Sunday as a way to keep students safe during the holidays.
“We wanted most of our students vaccinated before the holidays knowing that people are gonna gather and travel,” he explained. “Our schools are closed all week so that as folks gather and they travel they are partially protected.”
Another reason the deadline was moved was that he believed the deadline would encourage more students to be vaccinated.
“We saw with our employee deadline that even the last 48 hours, hundreds if not thousands of employees got vaccinated because of that deadline,” he added.
Melvoin told KNX 1070 the number of kids in that age group getting first shots is higher than 70 percent. He also said the district encouraged students to get vaccinated by using incentives, such as Amazon and Target gift cards and tickets to Hamilton the musical.
School district officials announced in September that students would have to be fully vaccinated by Jan. 10. Students athletes and those who participate in band and drill teams had to receive their first vaccination by Oct. 31.
Any student not fully vaccinated by Jan. 10 will be required to attend online classes and be kept away from campuses.
Parents must upload proof of their student’s vaccination status into a portal on the LAUSD website.
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