Los Angeles mom says teen son got COVID shot at school in exchange for pizza, without her consent

A California mother says her 13-year-old son, a student at the Barack Obama Global Prep Academy in south Los Angeles, received a COVID-19 vaccination in exchange for pizza and without her consent.

The mother, Maribel Duarte, says her son brought home a vaccine card after having accepted a vaccination shot at school and that he said yes to a shot when someone offered him the pizza, according to NBCLosAngeles.com.

"The lady that gave him the shot and signed the paper told my son, 'Please don't say anything. I don't want to get in trouble,' " Daurte told the news outlet.

The Los Angeles Unified School District says student matters are confidential and wouldn't comment specifically. However, LASUD's "Safe Schools to Safe Steps incentive program" is meant to ensure several steps are in place for vaccinated students to receive prizes.

Duarte says she's not against the vaccine, but her son has "problems with asthma and allergy problems."

Jennifer Kennedy, an attorney who is following closely the two cases against the LAUSD over the vaccine mandate making their way through courts, said the problem is that children in California can't consent to vaccination.

"The LAUSD does not have the power to add a vaccine to the California school schedule," she told the news outlet. "You couldn't do it if you were a podunk school district, and you can't do it if you're LAUSD, the second largest district in the nation. You don't have that legal authority."

In California, school vaccines are handled through the state Department of Public Health and created into law through the state legislature.

The LAUSD says as of the Thanksgiving break, 80% of eligible students at Obama Prep have been vaccinated.

"It hurt to know he got a shot without my permission, without knowing and without signing any papers for him to get the shot," Duarte said, also according to NBCLosAngles.com.

The LAUSD has mandated a Jan. 10 vaccination for all students age 12 and above. Those who don't get it and don't have a legal exemption, will be forced back into virtual, online learning.