The Los Angeles Unified School District repealed its 2-year-old COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees on Tuesday.

In a 6-1 vote by the board of education, the nation’s second-largest school system ended its strict COVID-19 requirement for staff, which produced 99% compliance among classroom teachers and 97% among all employees nearly two years ago, according to the Los Angeles Times. The mandate was enacted in August 2021.

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Board member George McKenna was the sole opposing vote, citing the mandate would still work to save lives.

“I do not regret what we did for one moment, not 30 seconds, not one tiny bit,” board President Jackie Goldberg said during Tuesday’s meeting. “The highest death rates in the country were in states where there were no vaccine requirements.”

The measures were adopted early in the pandemic by the largest district in California, and nearly 500 employees were fired for refusing to comply with the vaccine mandate in December 2021. The COVID-19 vaccination mandate was hit by a slew of lawsuits, with many former LAUSD employees suing the district for religious discrimination.

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Leslie Manookian, founder of the Health Freedom Defense Fund, filed a lawsuit with six LAUSD employees and the California Educators for Medical Freedom against the district nearly two years ago. Manookian is still trying to fight the suit in the 9th Circuit Court as of last week.

District officials said former employees and teachers who were let go for failing to comply with the mandates could be considered for open positions, but they would not be automatically reinstated.