LAUSD Extends Deadline For Employees To Be Vaccinated Against COVID
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — The Los Angeles Unified School District has extended its deadline for employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
LAUSD employees now have until Friday to get their first dose of the vaccine and until Nov. 15 to receive both doses.
If employees do not receive their second dose by Nov. 15, they will not be allowed on campus but will get paid through October 31.
A district representative said the delay was agreed upon "in order to protect the health and safety of all students and employees and also to ensure that all employees are able to be vaccinated with the COVID- 19 vaccine of their choice."
The district said those with religious or medical exemptions will be moved to other jobs, including the City of Angels, which is LAUSD's remote learning option.
The extensions come at a time when the district is trying to fill about 2,000 vacancies.
Nicolle Fefferman is a high school teacher in central Los Angeles. She said there aren't enough substitutes to fill in currently.
"We get these panicked emails from our administrators in the morning, saying seven teachers are out today, we don't have enough subs," Fefferman said.
Fefferman said she supports the mandate, but worries it could lead to larger class sizes.
Sources told CBSLA's Kristine Lazar that 93 percent of classroom teachers within LAUSD have been vaccinated.
In a statement, LAUSD said it has a "robust pool" of 3,400 substitute teachers, and this year, on average they have deployed about 2,200 subs each day.
None of the unions within LAUSD have opposed the mandate.
Employees and students will continue to take part in weekly COVID testing through the end of the semester.
(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)