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VOL. 25, NO. 51
LAUSD students, staff must test for COVID before returning to campuses By City News Service
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mid surging COVID-19 cases, thousands of Los Angeles County children resumed in-person classes Monday, but with tightened safety protocols, while Los Angeles Unified announced all of its students and employees must be tested before returning to campuses next week. To help accommodate the testing requirement, the LAUSD announced the start of the spring semester for K-12 students will be pushed back to Tuesday, Jan. 11. District employees will return to campuses Monday for a "Pupil Free Day." The changes were announced hours after the LAUSD Board of Education held an abruptly scheduled closed-door meeting Monday morning. According to the district, students and employees can get tested at district sites starting immediately, with appointments available online at lausd.net/covidtestingappt or by calling 213-443-1300. Walk-in
| Photo courtesy of Alexandra Koch/Pixabay
testing is also available at district sites, and at-home testing kits will be available for students beginning Friday. Students and employ-
ees can also get tested at non-district sites, but they must upload results onto the district's Daily Pass system no later than Sunday.
Students and employees at LAUSD campuses and all other schools in the county will also be subject to stricter COVID safety protocols, which were
announced on New Year's Eve by the county Department of Public Health. The rules require all students and staff to wear masks outdoors "where
physical distancing is not feasible," and employees must wear upgraded surgical or higher-level masks instead of cloth ones. The new rules recommend, but do not require, students to wear noncloth masks "with a nose wire." The requirement for upgraded masks -- which must be provided to staff by districts -- will take effect two weeks after schools reopen. The revised protocols from the county also include a "strong recommendation for all eligible staff and students to receive a booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in addition to their primary vaccine series." COVID testing is also required "for all close contacts who are permitted to remain in school immediately after exposure, regardless of vaccination or booster status." Among the districts that resumed classes Monday was the Burbank Unified School District, See LAUSD Page 9
2022 Rose Parade sees noticeably smaller crowd than years past By City News Service
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he 133rd Tournament of Roses Parade made a colorful return to Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena with a smallerthan-usual crowd lining the sidewalks to see dozens of elaborate floral floats, high-
energy marching bands and equestrian teams in the iconic New Year’s Day tradition that was called off last year due to COVID-19. “Dream. Believe. Achieve.” was the parade theme, a celebration of “education’s ability to open doors, open minds and
change lives.” “Education paves the path to success with a world of opportunities achieved through knowledge, compassion and determination. Education is the great equalizer,” Tournament of Roses Association President Robert Miller said.
“As a community college educator, I have seen firsthand the life-changing miracle that education provides.” The UPS Store took top float honors for the third consecutive time, winning the 2022 Sweepstakes Trophy for its entry “Rise,
Shine & Read!’ featuring a proud father rooster reading to his family of chicks on a 35-foot- tall, 55-foot-long animated float. The float, built by Irwindale-based Fiesta Parade Floats, demonstrated the importance of literacy. The festivities began at
8 a.m. with a performance by Grammy-winning singer LeAnn Rimes, featuring a remixed and re-mastered version of “Throw My Arms Around the World,” created specifically for the Pasadena See 2022 Rose Parade Page 13