Nearly 500 Unvaccinated Employees Fired By LA School District

At least 496 employees of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) have been removed from their posts for their refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19. This comes as the district works to urge students getting into the second semester to get their shots.

In separate motions Tuesday, the school board voted 7-0 for the termination of 496 unvaccinated employees. The said number makes up for less than 1% of the district’s total workforce, Associated Press reported.

In a statement, Interim Superintendent Megan Reilly said, “parting ways with individuals who choose not to be vaccinated is an extremely difficult, but necessary decision to ensure the safety of all in our school communities.” Under the vaccine mandate, employees were supposed to have received their second dose by Nov. 15.

The LA school district did not provide details on which work groups saw the most terminations and how many of the fired staffers were teachers, Fox-owned KTVU reported. The district did say that employees who get vaccinated may be eligible for rehiring.

It is likely that most of the terminated workers had been on leave since mid-October, around the time LAUSD employees were required to have their first dose, the Los Angeles Daily News reported. However, the district has a bigger problem at hand, as an estimated 34,000 students are yet to be vaccinated.

The LAUSD adopted its own rules regarding COVID-19 vaccination, wherein it requires students to get inoculated. The said requirement was implemented ahead of a state policy announcement by California Gov. Gavin Newsom that will require immunizations by age group. The policy is expected to be enforced by July. However, the Los Angeles Times reported that students who have not had even their first vaccine dose won’t make it in time for the beginning of the LAUSD’s second semester on Jan. 10.

Students who aren’t fully vaccinated yet and those who are exempt from vaccination have two options: Enrol in the district’s independent study program, or leave the public school system of Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, two non-profit groups for children have filed a lawsuit at the Los Angeles Superior Court in a bid to challenge the vaccine mandate on students, KNBC reported. It is unclear how the LAUSD will respond to the lawsuit as it did not announce vaccination deadline extensions yet. The school board will discuss the lawsuit Thursday.