By Emily Burleigh

American Press

All Head Start staff members, volunteers and contractors whose activities involve contact with students will be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine by the start of the new school year.

The Calcasieu Parish School Board passed the motion in a 13-2 vote Tuesday night. Billy Breaux, District 13 representative, and Bliss Bujard, District 11 representative, voted against the policy.

Medical and religious exemptions will be allowed after evaluation.

Early Childhood Administrative Director Michelle Joubert said all Head Start staff who have already been vaccinated or will be receiving the COVID-19 vaccine will receive a $3,000 bonus that will be paid out over two installments.

These payments will come from federal COVID-19 Head Start funding, Joubert said.

The board also voted to update materials for its English-language arts high school curriculum with an increased focus on ACT preparation.

“This proposal is that in the 12th grade there is more of a focus on ACT preparation,” said Superintendent Shannon LaFargue. “Teachers would work on college writing with the text ‘Transition to College Writing.’ We’re really going to target exactly what those teachers we talked to said.”

LaFargue said there will also be a focus on grammar.

The three ancillary grammar texts that will be adopted are “Maximum Impact,” “Grammar for Writing” and “The Big Blue Book of Grammar.”

Updates in curriculum will be made to English I, English II, English III and English IV.

This motion was also carried unanimously.