LA teachers call for mandatory student vaccinations, stricter quarantines

A Los Angeles teachers union is calling for eligible students to be required to receive the coronavirus vaccine, as well as stricter quarantine guidelines from the school district.

According to a document labeled “Counterproposal #2″ dated Aug. 26, United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) asked for students to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 no later than 12 weeks after they become eligible, subject to medical and religious exemptions.

Such a requirement would not be a first for California, as Culver City has mandated students to be vaccinated against the coronavirus by Nov. 19.

The UTLA proposal further asks for an entire class to quarantine if a student or teacher tests positive for COVID-19.

In an event that a class has to quarantine, the teacher would have to provide at least three hours of daily instruction via Zoom, assignments on digital platforms, and at least two hours of office hours per week, according to the union proposal.

The document was first reported by the Los Angeles Times, which noted that there is no indication that the district agreed to it.

The district announced its interim continuity of learning plan due to COVID-19 on Monday, which the district said includes instruction via online learning if an entire class and teacher had to quarantine.

But UTLA said in a statement that the plan was implemented without reaching a bargaining agreement with the district.

There have been two bargaining agreements between the union, which represents over 35,000 teachers, and the district so far.

The Los Angeles Unified School District began classes on Aug. 16. The district requires students to wear masks at all times and to social distance, and regularly tests students.

About 6,500 students had to miss school in the first week of classes due to the coronavirus, including 3,000 in isolation due to testing positive for COVID-19 and 3,500 who had to quarantine due to close contact.

Approximately 1,000 employees had to miss one day out of that week due to a positive test or close contact.

The Hill has reached out to UTLA for further comment.

–Updated at 9:39 a.m.