Sacramento, CA – The Sacramento City Unified School District took action at the October 12 Special Board of Education Meeting to require vaccinations against COVID-19 for both staff and eligible students (ages 12 and over) by November 30, 2021. 

The process to submit vaccination records, or to file an exemption for medical or personal beliefs, will be announced later this month for those opting to undergo regular routine COVID-19 testing.

The resolution adopted by the Sac City Unified Board, which can be read in its entirety on the SCUSD website; includes the following provisions:

• The Board directs the Superintendent to adopt the requirement that all SCUSD staff and students (including dependent charter school and Adult Education students) aged 12 and older receive the COVID-19 vaccination as a condition to accessing in-person instruction in order to best ensure the health and safety of all students, staff, and community and best protect against future disruptions to full-time, in-person instruction threatened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• All eligible SCUSD staff and students shall provide proof of vaccination (first or second dose) by November 30, 2021, except for those students or staff with qualified and approved exemptions and conditional admissions.
• All SCUSD students and staff not yet vaccinated (first or second dose) by November 30, 2021 or are not yet eligible for vaccination, as well as those students and staff with exemptions or conditional admissions, will be tested for COVID-19 on a regular routine basis based on public health recommendations for testing cadence, available staffing, and testing resources.
• Consistent with the October 1, 2021 announcement by the Governor directing CDPH to promulgate regulations for the vaccine mandate, including the scope of exemptions, and pending any updated direction from new regulations or new legislation, SCUSD will allow for appropriately documented Medical and Personal Belief Exemptions with the requirement of regular routine COVID-19 testing.
• All eligible, non-exempt or conditionally enrolled SCUSD students who have not submitted proof of vaccination (first and second dose) before the first day of the second semester will enroll in SCUSD’s Independent Study Program consistent with all legal requirements beginning on the first day of the second semester subject to the Superintendent’s discretion in light of SCUSD’s resources and the health and safety of SCUSD’s community and recognizing the need to reach agreement with labor partners regarding an Independent Study Program and other related matters that is viable in light of contractual obligations and state and national staffing shortages.
• The Board directs the Superintendent to apply this vaccination mandate and determine appropriate conditions and timelines to students who become eligible under changes and updates to FDA COVID-19 emergency use approval, including students age five through 11 subject to the Superintendent’s discretion in light of SCUSD’s resources and the health and safety of SCUSD’s community.

“A vaccine requirement is the path forward to keeping our schools open and increasing immunity” said Jorge A. Aguilar, Superintendent, Sacramento City Unified School District. “As superintendent of Sac City Unified, I wake up every morning feeling the anxieties caused by this unprecedented pandemic and its threat to meeting the academic, social, emotional, nutritional and other needs of our students. For so many of our students, schools are their safe haven and I thank the Board for their approval of this resolution based on our commitment to meeting those student needs. We are taking a bold stand to protect public health.”

Superintendent Aguilar’s full remarks as prepared can be viewed here.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Sac City Unified has worked to prioritize the health and safety of all  students, families and staff. The District reopened for full in-person instruction on September 2 with a detailed Return to Safety plan, that includes making COVID testing available on every school site for any interested student and staff member. The District also collaborates with community partners to host an ongoing series of COVID-19 vaccination clinics for those eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, including students, staff and other members of our community. 

Resources about the vaccines, including upcoming vaccination clinics at SCUSD sites can be found at: www.scusd.edu/vaccinations.