Los Angeles makes COVID vaccines compulsory for schoolkids

Children aged 12 or over who attend public schools in Los Angeles will have to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the start of next year, city education chiefs said on Sept. 9, the first such requirement by a major education board in the United States.

The vote by the Los Angeles Unified School District - the second biggest in the country - comes as the United States grapples with surging coronavirus numbers, driven by the highly contagious Delta variant.

It also came as U.S. President Joe Biden set out tough new nationwide rules designed to stanch the flood of new infections, ordering companies with 100 or more personnel to ensure all of them are vaccinated, and requiring that all federal employees and contractors also get the shots.

Around 600,000 students attend a public school managed by LAUSD, about 220,000 of whom are eligible for a vaccine.

The passage of the motion at Thursday's meeting could set a precedent for school boards across the country.
Kelly Gonez, LAUSD board president, welcomed the vote: "The vaccine is safe, effective, & the best way to keep our students protected against the virus," she tweeted after the meeting.

"We will work to ensure families have reliable medical information in the coming weeks."

The district already mandates regular testing for children, and masks are required on campus, both indoors and out. Staff must be vaccinated.

Under the new rules, all children attending in-person classes will need to have their first dose by November 21. They must have had their second dose in time for full immunity by January 10.

Scientists say the second jab confers maximum immunity two weeks after being administered.

A child who turns 12 during the school year will have...