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Who is Laura Russo? Teacher jabs student with J&J vaccine without parental consent

Biology teacher jabs 17-year-old student sparking an investigation that led to her being arrested, removed from the classroom

A Long Island biology teacher has been arrested and charged for jabbing a 17-year-old with a Covid-19 vaccine on New Year's Eve. A video of Laura Parker Russo jabbing the unidentified teen has been made public, with the Nassau County Police Department confirming the teen's parents had not consented to him being vaccinated. What's even more concerning though, is the fact Russo is not a qualified medical professional, which sparked fears for the teen's welfare.

Back in December 2021, Maribel Duarte went viral after slamming an LA school for vaccinating her child without consent, by bribing him with pizza. Such cases have now started creeping up, as the US attempts to get students jabbed in a bid to combat the Omicron variant. Many school districts have been blocked from implementing a vaccine mandate, making schools key avenues for disease outbreaks. 

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In some districts, students have been eligible to get jabbed without parental consent under something called the 'mature minor doctrine'. But even then, those administering the doses have to be medical professionals. That's because vaccinating someone is not just about poking a needle, as one doctor told CBS New York, "You have to draw up the medication into a sterile syringe with a needle and expel some of the air and give the injection properly."

Who is Laura Parker Russo?

The 54-year-old mother of six is a biology teacher at Herricks High School in Nassau County. She is married to John Russo, a realtor in Sea Cliffs. An online bio describes her as a "lifelong Long Island resident" who also happens to be a member of the Sea Cliff Civic Association. According to the school's webpage for her, she teaches immunity, genetics, biochemistry, evolution, and ecology. 

Little else is known about Russo at the moment, as it appears she has taken down her social media profiles. It's unclear if she has been suspended, with Herricks Public Schools superintendent Fino Celano saying she has been "removed from the classroom and reassigned". It is believed Russo jabbed the student on December 31 at her home, and she was arrested after the teen told his mother about it. 

"The mother had not given permission or authority to have her son injected with a Covid vaccine and called police," the statement from Nassau County PD said. It added, "'After an investigation was conducted, it was discovered that Laura Parker Russo is not a medical professional or authorized to administer vaccines and was placed under arrest without incident." She was charged with unauthorized practice of profession and is due to appear in court on January 21. 

Video of the incident was made public first by WNBC journalist Pei-Sze Cheng, who tweeted it on January 3. In it, the teen can be heard saying, "there you go, at-home vaccine," as he is jabbed by Russo. Reportedly, he was administered a Johnson & Johnson vaccine, but it is unclear as of now where Russo obtained it from. That's one of the many things the police are investigating. 

From the video, it certainly appears as if the teen was eager to get jabbed. Since he's not been identified, it's unclear if the parents are anti-vaxxers, prompting him to sneak behind their backs and get jabbed. It hasn't been reported if the teen suffered any adverse effects of the jab. Nonetheless, we'd advise you to get jabbed by a qualified medical professional.