Texas teachers, daycare workers now qualified for the COVID-19 vaccine after being added to the federal priority

Updated at 7:30 pm on March 3, 2021 to include comments from Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins

All Texas teachers, school staff and childcare workers are now eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines thanks to a change in federal pharmacy policy.

On Wednesday, Dr. John Hellerstedt, commissioner of the Texas Department of Health Services, sent a letter to vaccine providers across the state, informing them that a federal directive immediately expands the vaccine’s eligibility for include “those who work in pre-primary, primary, and secondary schools, as well as the Head Start and Early Head Start programs (including teachers, employees and bus drivers) and those who work as or for licensed child care providers, including family and center-based care providers. “

The policy change came a day after President Joe Biden urged states to prioritize teachers on vaccination lists, using federal pharmacy guidelines to do so.

“My challenge is this: we want every educator, school employee, daycare assistant to receive at least one injection by the end of March,” said Biden on Tuesday at a press conference at the White House.

Vaccination of teachers is a key pillar in Biden’s effort to reopen schools in his first 100 days in office.

The change also comes a day after Texas Governor Greg Abbott terminated his state mask mandate from March 10, with no guidance on what public schools should do in his absence.

The Texas Education Agency issued updated health guidelines for public schools on Wednesday that noted that current protocols – including masks – would remain in effect unless a local school council votes to lift such requirements.

Pharmaceutical giant CVS Health changed its policy on Wednesday to make educators and elementary and high school employees, as well as daycare professionals, eligible to receive a vaccine.

In a statement, the company said the move “in line with updated Federal Retail Pharmacy Program guidelines” and would happen in all 17 states – including Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana – where CVS currently offers COVID-19 vaccines.

Vaccines will be made available to educators by appointment only at the approximately 100 selected CVS pharmacies across Texas that are administering the vaccines. Teachers can sign up through CVS.com or the CVS Pharmacy app, and those who don’t have online or mobile access can call the company’s customer service line: (800) 746-7287.

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins logged on to social media on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, posting a story about Biden’s decision and promising that the first group of teachers would get their vaccinations next week – marking Dallas, Garland, Richardson and Irving ISDs in their posts.

On Wednesday, Jenkins explained that these injections would be through the extension of the federal program that sends doses directly to pharmacies. Vaccines located in federally and county-approved locations are likely to be difficult to find, he said.

There is an accumulation of about 750,000 people on the Dallas County waiting list, and teachers would increase that total, said Jenkins. He added that it is unclear whether the federal government’s Fair Park location would expand its mission to include teachers under Biden’s new guidance.

Jenkins and state officials are in an ongoing discussion about the county’s vaccine allocation, which has been cut proportionally by the state since the federal government opened a location in Fair Park targeting residents in the poorest and most needy areas of the county.

“For teachers, it will be, ‘Register as many places as you want to drive,'” said Jenkins. “And that will probably stop when the state stops diverting vaccines from Dallas and Tarrant County.”

Dallas ISD spokeswoman Robyn Harris said the district is still “collecting information” about what the two changes could mean for its 20,000 employees.

Prior to the move, Texas prioritized vaccination for frontline medical workers, residents of nursing homes, those aged 65 and over, and those aged 16 and over with at least one chronic medical condition that put them at greater risk of serious diseases caused by the coronavirus.

While thousands of teachers and childcare providers were vaccinated according to these guidelines, thousands more were not. Texas public school districts alone have 750,000 employees, including 365,000 teachers.

Texas was among those who did not prioritize teachers, despite offering face-to-face learning across the state.

Rena Honea, president of the Dallas teachers’ union, Alliance AFT, said she was “absolutely ecstatic” at the announcement and that educators and support staff were “finally being recognized” for their important roles during the pandemic.

“Those who have been called to work on the front line need this protection, but so far, unless they fall into one of the existing groups, they have not been able to obtain it,” said Honea. “It takes us back to where we needed to be at all times.”

Stay connected with the latest news in education by subscribing to our weekly newsletter.

The DMN Education Lab deepens coverage and talks about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.

The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from The Beck Group, Bobby and Lottye Lyle, The Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, The Meadows Foundation, Solutions Journalism Network , Southern Methodist University and Todd A. Williams Family Foundation. Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.