Baldwin Park Unified is continuing to offer vaccination opportunities and resources to students, staff and the community in an effort to guard individuals against the effects of COVID-19.
The District recently partnered with Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center to provide the BPUSD community with two free COVID-19 vaccine clinics at Baldwin Park and Sierra Vista high schools. The first clinic was hosted at Sierra Vista High on Sept. 11, followed by the second clinic at Baldwin Park High on Sept. 25.
For those vaccinated on Sept. 11 at SVHS, the second dose will be provided from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 2. Those vaccinated on Sept. 25 at BPHS will have access to the second dose from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 16.
Both sites are open to everyone 12 years and older, and pre-registration is not required. However, BP Medical Center encourages individuals to register in advance so they have enough supplies.
The on-campus clinics are the latest effort to provide the BPUSD community with the opportunity to contain the spread of the virus and receive the vaccine; earlier this year, Baldwin Park Unified students and their families received free COVID-19 vaccinations thanks to the District’s partnership with BP Medical Center.
As of Sept. 28, 66 percent of BPUSD students are fully vaccinated.
The District is also now offering free COVID-19 testing to employees and students every Monday and Wednesday at Baldwin Park and Sierra Vista high schools. The testing site at Baldwin Park is open 1 to 5 p.m. on Mondays and 8 a.m. to noon on Wednesdays, and the site at Sierra Vista operates from 8 a.m. to noon on Mondays and from 1 to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays.
On Sept. 20, Baldwin Park Unified hosted hour-long COVID-19 update meetings for its elementary, middle and high school communities. The webinars emphasized the importance of wearing face masks and receiving the vaccinations, and covered basic COVID-19 safety protocols, such as completing the daily self-symptom check before going on any BPUSD campus.
In addition, the webinars covered an updated quarantine policy. Exposed individuals must quarantine for 10 days from the last date of contact unless the individual is fully vaccinated or has had COVID-19 in the past 90 days. A COVID-19 test may be taken starting on day five. If the individual tests negative, they may return to school on day eight instead of day 11.
BPUSD also partnered with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to present an informational webinar on the COVID-19 vaccine on Sept. 16, and has made a continuous effort to provide updates for parents and staff on new cases through their dashboard – which is updated weekly.
“Baldwin Park Unified is doing everything possible to ensure that our students, staff and community have the resources to be tested and vaccinated to fight COVID-19,” Superintendent Dr. Froilan N. Mendoza said. “The pandemic, and the efforts to contain it, are not a political issue but rather a health issue. It is imperative that we work together to develop solutions and get through this challenging time as a united community.”