SANTA MONICA/MALIBU—On Monday, March 1, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District announced that educators and staff have begun receiving vaccinations through a partnership with Providence St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica.
The district has set up a system in coordination with St. John’s Health Center to schedule appointments that prioritize teachers and staff who are currently working on campus and will be for the expected upcoming launch of in-person instruction.
The district’s 2,000 staff members will be cycled through daily appointments until vaccinations are complete. Teachers and staff who are 65 or older have already been vaccinated.
“We are pleased to have St. Johns as our partner to ensure our teachers and staff who wish to be vaccinated are vaccinated over the next few weeks,” said Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, Dr. Mark Kelly. “We have encouraged our staff to seek vaccinations by any means possible, to expedite the process.”
In-person instruction is expected to begin the week of March 15 for TK-5 schools.
“Vaccinating our teachers and staff brings us closer to expanding the reopening of our TK-12 schools as quickly as possible,” said Dr. Kelly. “We are all interested in the return of students and staff as soon as it is safe to do so.”
The district’s safety plan for in-person instruction covers a number of precautions that will be implemented, including social distancing, mask mandates, and temperature checks. Students in grades 6-12 cannot return to school until Los Angeles County reaches the “Red Tier” phase.
