On September 9th, the school board for Los Angeles Union School District (LAUSD) voted in favor of mandatory vaccination of all students ages 12 and up. LAUSD is the largest school district in California and the second-largest school district in the United States with over 625,000 students. This decision is influential and other school districts may follow suit.

“Hart District has not taken any formal action like LAUSD regarding mandated vaccines,” says Dr. Cherise Moore, President of William S. Hart School District, in an email correspondence early this month. Dr. Moore outlined several factors that influenced the board’s current decision to abstain from a vaccine mandate and may determine if there going to be discussions in the future. 

“The current number of positive cases happening among students on our campuses [seems] to show a bit of a plateau, which is in alignment with the declining number of cases among students in LA County,” says Dr. Moore. Cases in LA County have been decreasing since the mask mandate for vaccinated individuals was reinstated. 

Starting October 15th, all Hart District staff on campus will have to be vaccinated or routinely tested. Dr. Moore anticipates this to “have a positive impact of lowering cases on campuses even further.” Although, she estimates that 85%-90% of staff are already vaccinated. 

The district is also not formally aware of the vaccination rate of students, but Dr. Moore believes there is a significant number who are already vaccinated. The free vaccination clinics will continue to be offered on campus and there will also be continued education regarding the vaccination. “We are doing everything possible to make it easy to get the vaccination without a mandate,” says Dr. Moore. 

If you are interested in sending any comments concerning your views on mandatory vaccination in schools visit this link to submit a comment for the next board meeting.