LI Teacher Reassigned After Unlawfully Vaccinating Teen: ICYMI

Editor's note: This article was originally posted on Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022.

NEW HYDE PARK, NY — A high school biology teacher accused of giving a teenager a COVID-19 shot without his mother's consent has been reassigned from her classroom duties, according to Long Island school officials.

Laura Parker Russo, 54, was arrested on New Year's Eve after authorities said she administered a shot of what appeared to be the vaccine to a 17-year-old boy in her Sea Cliff home. The teen later returned home and told his mother, who then called the police and said she never gave consent.

Russo, a teacher at Herricks High School, was charged with the unauthorized practice of a profession.

Herricks Superintendent Fino Celano released a statement about the incident, saying that Russo has been "removed from the classroom and reassigned pending the outcome of the investigation."

"The alleged incident is non-school related," the statement read. "As this is a matter of personnel, the district has no further comment."

Russo is scheduled to appear in criminal court on Friday, Jan. 21.

“There you go, at home vaccine”. Police have arrested a Long Island mother for illegally giving a 17 year old boy a shot of Covid vaccine in her home. And there’s video….Only on @NBCNewYork #nbc4ny pic.twitter.com/KpG5vAQaDT
— Pei-Sze Cheng (@PeiSzeCheng4NY) January 3, 2022