LAUSD's Student COVID Vaccination Program: What to Know

As part of Los Angeles Unified School District's efforts to keep students, parents and staff healthy during the coronavirus pandemic, the district is launching a new vaccination program.

LAUSD: COVID-19 Vaccinations for Students
LAUSD Vaccination Hotline: 213-328-3958

It aims to provide COVID-19 vaccines to 300,000 students at 250 schools over 13 days, adding mobile vaccination clinics to the 19 school-based vaccine clinics that already exist.

According to a tweet from LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner, the program will build on other relief efforts that the district offered throughout the pandemic, which included "130 million meals, 40 million school supply items, 500,000 students with computer and internet access [and] 1.3 million COVID tests."

"What we're trying to do is to make sure our students have access in a place they know, they trust," Beutner told NBC4 in an interview on Thursday. "Young adults need agency."

Where Can My Child Get Vaccinated?

According to a community update given by Beutner on May 17, the mobile team will visit "about 250 school sites," to ensure each student has the chance to get vaccinated at the location closest to home.

There are also permanent vaccination sites at the following schools:

1. Burbank Middle School: 6460 N Figueroa St, Los Angeles 90042
2. Carson High School: 22328 S Main St, Carson 90745
3. Crenshaw High School: 5010 11th Ave, Los Angeles 90043
4. Elizabeth Learning Center: 4811 Elizabeth St, Cudahy 90201
5. Fremont High School: 7676 San Pedro St, Los Angeles 90003
6. Gage Middle School: 2880 E Gage Ave, Huntington Park 90255
7. Garfield High School: 5101 E 6th St, East Los Angeles 90022
8. Hollenbeck Middle School: 2510 E 6th St, Los Angeles 90023
9. Jefferson High School: 1319 E 41st St, Los Angeles 90011
10. Lincoln High School: 3501 N Broadway, Los Angeles 90031
11. Maclay Middle School: 12540 Pierce St, Pacoima 91331
12. Manual Arts High School: 4131 Vermont Ave, Los Angeles 90037
13. Markham Middle School: 1650 E 104th St, Los Angeles 90002
14. Monroe High School: 9229 Haskell Ave, North Hills 91343
15. Panorama High School: 8015 Van Nuys Blvd, Panorama City 91402
16. Santee Education Complex: 1921 Maple Ave, Los Angeles 90011
17. South East High School: 2720 Tweedy Blvd, South Gate 90280
18. Stevenson Middle School: 725 S Indiana St, Los Angeles 90023
19. Washington Preparatory High School: 10860 Denker Ave, Los Angeles 90047

Those permanent clinics are "in neighborhoods which have been most impacted by the virus," according to the community update.

When Will the Vaccinations Take Place?

The efforts will begin on Monday, May 24, and will last 13 days. The program will be repeated again over the summer, according to Beutner.

"We want to start vaccinating students during this school year while teachers, staff, and students are still in schools," the community update said, adding that the mobile vaccination clinics "will visit each school on a predetermined schedule" to provide vaccines to students and ensure they have all had the chance to get vaccinated closest to home.

That schedule is available on the LAUSD website.

The summer program will provide a second opportunity for students to get their first dose, if they do not get their vaccine during the push starting on May 24.

What Kind of Vaccine Will Be Offered?

All students taking part in the program will receive the Pfizer vaccine.

LAUSD has been offering Moderna vaccines to those adults who previously registered to received a COVID-19 vaccine at a LAUSD site, according to the LAUSD website.

The only vaccine that is currently approved under emergency use authorization by the FDA for use on children younger than age 18 is the Pfizer vaccine. Moderna has released preliminary data that states their vaccine is safe on children ages 12 to 17, according to AAP News, but has not yet received emergency use authorization for children from the Food and Drug Administration.

How Will Second Doses Work?

According to a spokesperson from LAUSD, all students who get their first dose during the vaccination program starting May 24, or during the repeat program over the summer, will automatically get a notification for their second dose appointment.

The mobile clinics for their second dose will be back at the same school site where they received their first vaccine, the spokesperson said.

Will Vaccines Be Required for Students in the Fall?

It depends on when the FDA moves COVID vaccines from the "emergency use authorization" status they have right now to full approval for use.

Once that occurs, Beutner told NBC4 on Thursday, it is "likely" students will be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

"Right now it's a coalition of the willing," he explained, with students, teachers and other members of the LAUSD community voluntarily getting their shots. Eventually, however, COVID vaccinations will likely join vaccines against measles and mumps, and tests for tuberculosis, as a requirement for attendance.

How Do I Register My Child for a Vaccine?

LAUSD asks that parents register for their child's appointment by calling the Family Vaccination Hotline at 213-328-3958, by visiting lausd.net, or through the Daily Pass app.

An LAUSD spokesperson said that no matter how the appointment is scheduled, all students ages 12 through 16 need a family member present with them during their vaccination.

Students ages 17 and 18 can get vaccinated with just a note from a parent or guardian, Beutner told NBC4 on Thursday.