All Students, Staff In LA Community College District Required To Get COVID Vaccine
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – The Los Angeles Community College District announced Thursday that all students and staff will be required to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus in order to come onto campuses.
The order, which was approved by the LACCD Board of Trustees Wednesday, requires that all students and employees without religious or medical exemptions be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18.
Those with religious or medical exemptions will have to undergo regular testing.
This serves as an amendment of a previous order issued last month which stated that all students and staff would either have to get fully vaccinated or undergo weekly testing. The new order removes the testing option for those without exemptions.
"We are following the science and the recommendations of our leading public health officials that vaccinations are the best tool to end this pandemic," LACCD Board of Trustees President Steve Veres said in a statement. "We care about our employees and our students and their safety is our top priority."
The LACCD is offering students who get vaccinated up to $150 in incentives thanks to a grant from the Kaiser Permanente Foundation.
All students and employees will need to submit to a baseline COVID-19 test by Oct. 18. Fully vaccinated students and employees with a negative COVID-19 test can then upload their vaccine information, at which time they will receive a QR code on their smart phones which they will use to access campus.
Glendale Community College is also mandating vaccinations for its staff and students, as is the Cal State University and University of California systems.
LACCD has nine campuses throughout the L.A. metro area.