Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Governor Orders School Employees (And Volunteers) To Get Vaccinated, Or Test Weekly, For Coronavirus
A custodian at Brainard Avenue Elementary in Lake View Terrace cleans a door handle on April 13, 2021, the campus' first day hosting students since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
(
Kyle Stokes
/
LAist
)
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday ordered not only teachers, but all employees in K-12 schools statewide to get fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or submit to weekly screenings for the virus.
Newsom said the public health directive, which applies to both public and private schools, makes California the first U.S. state to require education workers to be vaccinated. The announcement comes as millions of California students prepare to return to campuses for five-day-a-week, in-person instruction.
“It’s the right thing to do,” the governor said at an Oakland news conference, “to keep our most precious resource healthy and safe: our children.”
Who It Covers
The order applies to paid and unpaid workers of all kinds on school campuses, including parent volunteers.
Support for LAist comes from
Starting Thursday, the new rules say these workers must show their school documentation that at least two weeks have passed since they’ve received both doses of the vaccine. Workers who can’t do so must take weekly tests for the virus.
Earlier this week, ahead of the governor’s announcement, Long Beach Unified was among several large California school districts to announce its own vaccination requirement for school staff. Oakland Unified, where Newsom was speaking, was another.
“But there are a thousand-plus other…districts in the state that we want to encourage along,” Newsom said, “and we believe that this will begin a process of significantly increasing vaccination rates across the spectrum and across the state.”
Los Angeles Unified had not planned to require staff to get vaccinated — but they also planned to test all staff and students each week regardless of their vaccination status.
The governor had the support of education unions in making Wednesday’s announcement. California Teachers Association president E. Toby Boyd called the new vaccination order an “appropriate next step to ensure the safety of our school communities and to protect our youngest learners under 12 who are not yet vaccine eligible.”
Boyd also said the union’s surveys indicate the vast majority of teachers are already vaccinated.
The news comes amid a rising number of COVID-19 cases among minors.
Support for LAist comes from
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The L.A. City Council approved the venue change Wednesday, which organizers say will save $12 million in infrastructure costs. -
Taxes on the sale of some newer apartment buildings would be lowered under a plan by Sacramento lawmakers to partially rein in city Measure ULA.
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons Thursday after suddenly shutting down six months ago.
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
Best of LAist