Mayor: If School Board Does Not Move Decisively With Regards to Vaccinations, City Should Act

On Monday, Mayor Victor Gordo said the city should consider withholding funds from the school district if schools do not reopen on time due to a lack of vaccinations among teachers, 

“I just think it would be shameful to have schools not reopened because employees are not vaccinated,” Gordo said. 

“Our kids cannot suffer through another closure and [be] denied in-person education. We all saw the impacts last year of what happens. I think we need to do everything possible to ensure that our schools are reopening,” Gordo said. 

“I know that the school board is taking the matter up this week and hopefully they’ll have a discussion that considers these issues, and take some action.”

“But in the event that they do not, I think we should be prepared to act, and you know that could also mean holding back some of these dollars that we transfer to the PUSD to start up our own learning centers.”

Pasadena collects and transfers to the school district one-third of revenues raised by a 3/4 cent sales tax increase levied with voter approval in 2018.

The Pasadena Unified School District will discuss the district’s vaccination policy on Thursday.

The discussion comes as the more easily transmissible Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus continues to impact local communities.

However, the agenda does not include any mention of mandatory vaccinations for students 12 and over.

“We will discuss the subject of vaccinations and testing and the ramifications,” said Board President Scott Phelps.

The Pasadena Public Health Department requires a plan or protocol for incorporating COVID-19 testing into regular school operations. In addition, the school may consider a strategy for periodic testing for asymptomatic individuals with no known exposure.

The city is currently enduring substantial transmission of COVID-19, and has reinstated indoor masked guidelines.

City Manager Steve Mermell is preparing to roll out a policy that would require all city employees to be vaccinated.

“We require schools to report every case to us, not just outbreaks,” said Public Health Director Dr. Ying-Ying Goh who attended the last school board meeting. “Then we investigate who was exposed and quarantine people.”

According to Dr. Goh an outbreak is currently defined as three or more epidemic-linked cases.

Goh is not scheduled to attend Thursday’s meeting.

“While at this time I personally do not support mandatory vaccinations, I believe board discussions on the issue is important as the district considers how to keep everyone safe while on our school campuses and other district facilities,” said Board Member Michelle Richardson Bailey.

The Delta variant can spread more easily than the original strain of the virus, according to the Centers for Diseases Control.

According to WebMD, the strain has mutations on the spike protein that make it easier for it to infect human cells. That means people may be more contagious if they contract the virus and more easily spread it to others.

The Delta variant is now the dominant strain in the U.S.

And the strain has led to more infections among students.

In one week, cases of the variant jumped more than 80% among students across the country. Although many of those students were not hospitalized, some of them faced extremely high fevers as high as 104 degrees according to reports.

Last year, students across the country were sent home to learn after the pandemic began. Although school districts in California originally discussed a plan to continue some district learning, those plans were scrapped after Gov. Gavin Newsom promised cash-strapped districts, including Pasadena, money to reopen.

But since students began returning to school across the country, the Delta variant has started spreading among students.

In one school district in Arkansas, 500 students and staff members have been quarantined. However, state laws ban mask mandates in Arkansas.

The Los Angeles Unified School District will require all students and employees who are returning for in-person instruction to participate in weekly COVID-19 testing — regardless of vaccination status.

Current PUSD strategies include vaccine clinics on Aug.7 at Madison Elementary School and Aug. 9-11 at the district vaccination clinic.