LAUSD delays COVID vaccine mandate until summer of 2023

The Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education voted Tuesday to delay its COVID-19 vaccine requirement for students until at least the summer of 2023.

The board voted in favor of LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho's recommendation that the district delay the vaccine requirement until at least July 1, 2023, in order to put the district in line with the state's timeline for imposing the student mandate.

A mandate for requiring that all district employees be vaccinated, however, remains in effect.

"Today's vote shows that we are a science-based school district, and the health and safety protocols we adopt are influenced by the expert advice of our medical partners and public health officials," Carvalho said in a statement following the vote. "We know that students do best when learning in the classroom with their peers. Due to the high vaccination rates among students 12 and older, low transmission rates in our schools and our nation-leading safety measures, we have preserved in-person learning in the safest possible environment."

LAUSD's vaccination rate among eligible students ages 12 and over was nearly 90%, the district reported back in December. Officials said they plan to continue providing "proactive support to students and parents who have not had access to vaccines." 

However, there are parents who still want to scrap the mandate altogether. They were set to stage a rally Tuesday afternoon.

Last month, California health officials announced the student vaccine mandate would be delayed until at least July of 2023 in order to give time for federal regulators to give final approval for the vaccine.