LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — On Thursday night, the Little Rock School board passed three COVID-related amendments.
The first two were extensions of precautions that were already in place.
The mask mandate and COVID-19 leave for teachers will stay in effect at LRSD until April 14th, when they revisit to vote on these again.
"Now we are right in the middle of this omicron surge and it would seem a very strange time to pull back from any of the protections that we have for our staff and students," said LRSD Board President Greg Adams.
Something new that's also coming to the district is a COVID-19 vaccine director's incentive for students.
A student will get $50 if vaccinated through a LRSD-run vaccine clinic that will be hosted by a pharmacy. The student must be brought to the pharmacy and have a permission form signed by a parent.
Despite the incentive, some parents aren't too sure if it will entice kids to get the shot.
"I don't think that offering a monetary amount is going to incentivize people to get the vaccines," said LRSD parent Katrina Jelley.
"I wouldn't just throw it out. 'Oh, I'm just gonna give you some money if you go get vaccinated.' They need to come up with a different idea," said LRSD parent Alisecia Mannie.
It was also mentioned during the meeting that the superintendent search has begun to replace Michael Poore, who announced last month that he is retiring.