The West Contra Costa Unified School District will consider extending its student COVID-19 vaccine mandate after seeing a lower rate of student vaccinations than desired ahead of a Jan. 3 deadline.
District officials told NBC Bay Area there are 12,185 students who fall under the vaccination policy, and as of Dec. 10, fewer than 5,000 have been fully vaccinated. Another 400-plus have indicated they're in the process of being vaccinated, and only 52 have said they're not getting the vaccine.
To meet the Jan. 3 deadline, students would have had to receive their second dose by Wednesday. In a recent survey, 80% of families indicated they plan to submit their vaccine card by Jan. 3, the district said.
At its scheduled meeting Wednesday, the district board will consider extending the deadline possibly to Feb. 18, officials said.
"The number of student vaccinations are not where we want them to be," a district spokesperson said in a statement. "We want to ensure that our students have more time to get vaccinated. We will continue to contact families to encourage their child’s vaccination and provide important information about their safety."
The district has been hosting clinics on and off campus and has been offering incentive programs for students to get the vaccine.
The school board meeting is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.
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