(July 29, 2021, 6:20 p.m.) -- The LA Unified School District (the state's largest) has announced that all its students and employees -- both vaccinated and unvacccinated -- returning for in-person instruction (begins August 16) "must participate in baseline and ongoing weekly COVID testing."
The announcement by LAUSD's interim superintendent Megan Reilly says "This is in accordance with the most recent guidance from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Baseline testing begins on Monday, August 2. More information can be found at https://achieve.lausd.net/covidtestingappt." There's was no immediate response from LBUSD non-elected management or its elected policy-setting school board to the breaking news story. However in today's (July 29) midday daily briefing, LA Dept. of Public Health Dir. Barbara Ferrer dodged a media question about whether her agency would require all teachers to be vaccinated [arguably consistent with Gov. Newsom's administration announcement yesterday requiring vaccination for all state employees.] Ferrer indicated that decision would be left to local school districts (and their "labor partners" [meaning politically powerful teachers unions].) Long Beach has its own Health Dept. independent of L.A. County. As previously reported by LBREPORT.com, despite a sharp rise in COVID cases and without a vote by LBUSD's elected policy-setting School Board, non-elected LBUSD Sup't Dr. Jill Baker announced on July 26 that students will return to campus in person Aug 31 -- with no mention of required proof of COVID vaccination and no mention of an option for online classes (which LAUSD's outgoing Superintendent indicated LAUSD will provide.) LBUSD Schoolboard member Megan Kerr (a frequent social network poster) responded to an inquiry from LBREPORT.com seeking her views, pro or con, on the LB Superintendent's reopening announcement. She handed our inquiry off to LBUSD spokesman Chris Eftychiou, who indicated that for "families who want an alternative to full-time, daily in-person instruction, the school district will offer an independent study option for Transitional Kindergarten through grade 12." But that statement leaves unclear if "independent study" is something different -- and arguably less than -- previously offered Zoom-type digital/online instruction offered as an option favored by a sizable number of LBUSD parents in the immediate past semester. So will LBUSD (the state's 4th largest school district) follow LAUSD's lead on weekly COVID testing for all teachers and students? Developing. Further to follow. |
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