COVID-19 Vaccine No Longer Mandated For LA Unified School Employees After Board Vote

LOS ANGELES, CA — Employees, contractors, vendors and volunteers at Los Angeles Unified School District will no longer be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 following a vote of the school board Tuesday.

The country's second-largest school district had the mandate on the books for just over two years.

"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 LAUSD Board of Education said in a Tuesday statement.

"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.

The 6-1 vote saw George McKenna as the lone dissenter. He said that the mandate had saved lives and the vaccine lessens the severity of COVID infections, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The board action comes after a lawsuit filed in January by some 20 current and former Los Angeles School Police Department employees argued that the vaccine does not prevent infection and that the district disregarded religious beliefs in enforcing the mandate.

City News Service contributed to this report.