Santa Barbara Unified Update: Vaccinating Students, Upcoming Graduations

The Santa Barbara Unified School District is expanding its efforts to bring vaccines to students.

Last week the district partnered with Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics to create a one-day clinic at La Cumbre Junior High during school hours. Sixty-eight 7th and 8th graders were vaccinated. This week the district partnered with the County Public Health Department to open a three-day clinic in the Santa Barbara High School cafeteria on Monday through Friday.

Frann Wageneck, assistant superintendent of Student Services, said that over 200 students, 12 years of age or older, and their family members have signed up. This clinic will also be open to the public.

Earlier this month the district organized a field trip that brought a group of students 16 and older to the Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital clinic to get vaccinated.

Wageneck also gave an update on end-of-year celebrations that are coming up. The current guidelines from the state require that the ceremonies operate at 67 percent capacity of the stadium or graduation area and that attendees show proof of either vaccination or a negative test.

“The little ray of sunshine is that next Tuesday, if we move into the yellow tier, we will not have to require vaccines at high school graduations or negative test results,” Wageneck said. “But in all of the ceremonies there will be masks, screenings, and social distancing of six feet or greater.”

There have been a total of 196 cases in the school district so far — 109 staff and 87 students. Only 12 of those have been on district property, and Wageneck said staff cases have dropped dramatically as over 80 percent of staff have been vaccinated.

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