The first day of school is on August 16, 2021, and for many families of the Los Angeles Unified School District, the recent uptick in the number of positive COVID cases in the Los Angeles region may raise concerns. For this reason, Los Angeles Unified is taking every necessary precaution to ensure that families are informed, prepared, and ready for a long-awaited return to in-person, full-day instruction at their local school campus.

At Los Angeles Unified, student and staff health, well-being and safety are a top priority. We know that the pandemic is not over and that it continues to affect many of our communities, so continued mitigation efforts will be critical to ensure safety.

This is why, over the last few weeks, Los Angeles Unified has rolled out a series of tools aligned with county and state COVID safety guidelines to assist families every step of the way.

Los Angeles Unified’s Office of COVID Response will test students and staff, vaccinated and unvaccinated, on a weekly basis, and require that everyone entering a school campus wear a mask at all times, except when eating or drinking.

Los Angeles Unified also joins its county and state health partners in efforts to encourage everyone to get their COVID vaccines. Evidence shows that vaccines are safe and effective, and are our best protection against the virus.

To help keep families informed and prepared for the new school year, Los Angeles Unified created several free resources. These include:

  • a Los Angeles Unified Back to School website that includes a health and safety plan to help families follow COVID safety protocols through testing and use of a Daily Pass;
  • a Los Angeles Unified Families Hotline (213-443-1300) offering support for questions related to the COVID pandemic, including Back to School, COVID testing and vaccinations, the Daily Pass, technology, and more;
  • a Los Angeles Unified Student & Family Wellness Hotline (213-241-3840) offering mental health, immunizations, health insurance, food & housing, enrollment, and more;
  • more than 20 school-based vaccination centers in collaboration with community healthcare partners;
  • a Welcome Back to School Family Guide offering critical information for a safe return to campus;
  • and a series of videos by the Los Angeles Unified COVID mitigation team including Los Angeles Unified Medical Director Dr. Smita Malhotra, MD (English), Senior Physician of Student Medical Services Dr. Rosina Franco, MD (Spanish), and Director of Nursing Services Sosse Bedrossian, RN, FNP,  (Armenian).

For more information, visit the Los Angeles Unified website at: https://achieve.lausd.net/backtoschool