What Los Angeles Unified Families Need to Know About the First Day of School

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