LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lakeport Unified School District Board of Trustees this week will consider the appointment of its president and clerk, and discuss a resolution opposing the state vaccination mandate for students and staff.
The meeting will take place beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 9, in the district office at 2508 Howard Ave.
Members of the public can also participate in the public session of the meeting via Zoom.
The agenda can be found here.
At the start of the meeting, the board will hold its annual organization, with the selection of the president and clerk. Dan Buffalo and Phil Kirby, respectively, now hold those posts.
The board also will establish its dates and times for meetings in the coming year and designate its district representatives.
On the agenda is consideration of a resolution regarding the mandated COVID-19 vaccine for students and staff.
In October, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the COVID-19 vaccine would be added to the list of vaccinations required for students to have in order to attend school in-person.
The governor also has ordered that the current “verify-or-test” requirement for school staff will be converted to a vaccine mandate.
The resolution states that Lakeport Unified, like other school districts, struggles to hire qualified employees for certificated and classified positions, “and the COVID-19 vaccine requirement has the potential to create more open jobs.” The district also supports “local control and decision making.”
It also notes that the district has operated in-person learning safely since reopening in the fall of 2020 without available COVID-19 vaccines or vaccination mandates.
“Lakeport Unified School District parents have expressed concern regarding the unknown long-term impacts of the COVID-19 vaccine on children and their development,” the document explains.
The district, the resolution states, will continue to partner with public health agencies to provide education material and offer vaccination opportunities for school-age children and employees, “however, the governing board respectfully asks that the California Legislature not mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for students and staff of TK-12 grade Local Education Agencies.”
The resolution indicates that the district will petition the state that the COVID-19 vaccine not be a condition of enrollment for students or employment for staff.
Superintendent Matt Bullard is recommending the board’s approval of the resolution.
In other business on Thursday, the board will discuss budget planning for the 2022-23 school year and get the first interim budget report.
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