Friday Last Day For LAUSD Employees To Get First COVID-19 Vaccine Dose Before Oct. 15 Deadline
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — LAUSD employees must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 15, so today is the last day employees have to get a first shot of a two-dose vaccine to make that deadline.
The Los Angeles Unified School District mandated COVID-19 vaccination for all its employees last month. But even if vaccinated, all employees and students must still undergo weekly tests.
"I'm doing it because of the deadline," said Megan Escobar, a special education assistant who's been hesitant to get her first dose due to concerns over the vaccine's development.
Escobar's father, Dr. Rafael Escobar, who is principal of Marianna Avenue Elementary School in East Los Angeles, volunteered to go with her.
"She called me, I have to confess," her father said. "She was in tears. I said, 'Megan, you're going to be fine. Do you want me to go over there and help you and walk you through it?'"
Dr. Escobar is fully vaccinated and said whether it's an adult child or a student's parent, you shouldn't talk down to people about vaccination.
"It's not the message you're delivering. It's how you deliver it. It's the words you choose, how you speak to people
Vaccine clinics at six LAUSD offices were open through 5 p.m. to accommodate procrastinating employees.
Sergio Franco, LAUSD's District East Administrator of Operations emphasized the necessity of of employees getting their first shot by the deadline.
"We are not going to allow employees to come into LAUSD buildings if they have not been fully vaccinated after October 15th," Franco said.
As for Megan Escobar, she said she came around after seeing how well her family did with the vaccines.
"I think if my dad or my mom would have had some negative effect or somebody I know personally would have had a negative effect, I don't know if I would have decided to get it," she said.
LAUSD, the second-largest school district in the nation, implemented more stringent requirements of students and employees in order to safely reopen this fall. All students and staff were required to get a baseline test before the school year began, and weekly testing and daily health checks are required to get on campus. Eligible students will also be required to be vaccinated in order to return to in-person classes after the winter break.
Staffers who choose the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine will have until Oct. 15 to get their shot. Today, however, is the deadline for employees getting the fist dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines unless they have an exemption with the district.
