NY teacher arrested after injecting 17-year-old with COVID-19 vaccine without parental consent

A Long Island teacher accused of illegally injecting a 17-year-old boy with a COVID-19 vaccine without parental consent has been reassigned from her classroom duties, the New York Post reported.

According to Nassau County police records, Laura Russo, 54 — who is neither a doctor nor an authorized vaccine administrator — was arrested at her Sea Cliff home on New Year’s Eve after the victim’s parents reported the alleged crime.

Russo reportedly had a vial of approved COVID-19 vaccine in her home, although it is not clear how she acquired it, NBC 4 reported. 

Russo is a science teacher with Herricks Public Schools in New Hyde Park and has since been reassigned to non-classroom related duties as the criminal investigation proceeds.

“The individual in question is a district employee who has been removed from the classroom and reassigned pending the outcome of the investigation,” the district said in a statement.

According to police records, Russo’s son invited a friend over who asked the teacher for the vaccine because his mother refused to allow him to get it.

A video posted on Twitter shows Russo preparing the shot for the teen, who can be heard saying, “There you go, at-home vaccine.”

The video is captioned with “never been so uncomfy in his life.”

“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

Russo was later charged with unauthorized practice of a profession under New York state education law and released on a desk appearance ticket.

She is due to appear in court on Jan. 21.