LAUSD ends COVID vaccine mandate for employees

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Unified School District rescinded its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees and others Tuesday, ending a policy that was in place for over two years and led to multiple lawsuits.

"In light of evolving medical data and in consultation with local health authorities, the District has revised its vaccination policy as many other county, state and federal entities have done," the district's Board of Education announced Tuesday evening.

"While we encourage everyone to stay up-to-date on all vaccinations, we will no longer require employees and contractors, vendors, volunteers and charter schools to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

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"We would like to thank our human resources and medical teams, and our university partners, for their continued leadership and guidance through this process," the board's statement continued. ``Los Angeles Unified will continue to follow the guidelines of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, as well as examine and update our protocols to ensure the health and safety of everyone in our school communities.

The mandate was enacted in August 2021.

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In a lawsuit suit brought Jan. 10, 2023, more than 20 current and former school Police Department members alleged that science shows that being vaccinated against COVID-19 does not prevent someone from acquiring the virus and that the district disregarded religious beliefs and enforced its vaccination policy to the detriment of the plaintiffs.

The district already ended its COVID vaccine mandate for students prior to the 2022-23 school year. That mandate was also enacted in 2021, when alarming infection and hospitalization rates led many school districts and local government jurisdictions to impose vaccine mandates.