LAUSD offers prizes to persuade students to get Covid vaccine

With a vaccination deadline days away — and roughly 72% in compliance — the Los Angeles Board of Education authorized an estimated $5 million for prizes and treats as incentives, the L0s Angeles Times reported, including Amazon gift cards, tickets to “Hamilton” and food trucks on campus.

The incentive program is part of an effort to boost student vaccination rates by Nov. 21, the school district’s deadline for students 12 and older to receive the first of two doses. Students must be fully vaccinated by Jan. 10 or they will not be allowed on campus. Their options would be to pursue their education outside of Los Angeles Unified or transfer to City of Angels, a district independent study program, as the Los Angeles Times noted.

The incentives are mainly raffles, and all in compliance are eligible, including those who are vaccinated, have an approved medical exemption or have a rare authorized extension. Religious exemptions are not being granted.

Raffle prizes have also included gift cards to grocery stores; tickets to Disneyland, Magic Mountain and Universal Studios Hollywood, and graduation-night entertainment packages.