LA County elementary schools can fully reopen

Elementary school campuses in Los Angeles on Tuesday were cleared to fully reopen for in-person instruction as the rate of positive Covid-19 tests drop, according to county public health officials. Before a school can reopen, however, a district must provide a safety plan that includes the school’s approach to preventing and containing Covid-19 spread on campus, in line with state guidelines.

Schools are eligible to reopen if a county reaches an adjusted case rate of 25 per 100,000. It’s a threshold set by the state and that Los Angeles County reached on Monday, once the county’s daily rate lowered to 20 cases per 100,000, according to a spokesperson for a county board member.

It is the first time in nearly a year that all elementary school students in the county are eligible to return to their campuses. LA Unified campuses reopened for small groups during the fall semester but were shuttered during the winter as coronavirus cases surged.

The ability to reopen does not indicate students will immediately return to their campuses. The news comes amid ongoing contract negotiations between districts and teachers unions. LA Unified, which has indicated schools will not reopen until teachers are vaccinated, opens its first school-based vaccination site this week.

According to the district, the Moderna vaccine will be available at Roybal Learning Center in East Los Angeles for school staff age 65 and older and employees who currently work at Covid-19 testing and vaccination sites.