New Jersey teachers will not have to fear sacrificing the time regularly dedicated to educating their students to receive the coronavirus vaccine after they become eligible for vaccines on March 15, according to state officials.
In announcing the expansion in vaccine eligibility on Monday, Governor Phil Murphy said that between now and mid-March he and other officials will determine “exactly how and where, and in some cases when” educators will be vaccinated.
“With regard specifically to educators, we will obviously work with the team of Judy (Persichilli) (the Department of Health), the Department of Education, our partners in the (New Jersey Education Association), school leaders, education stakeholders site and our websites on ways to ensure full access without interrupting the school day, ”said Murphy. “So, this is yet to be determined.”
Whether that means vaccinations through the school nurse during school hours, an instant clinic on the school premises, dedicated appointment times at existing vaccination sites or partnerships with local health providers, to be determined.
CheMed Health Center, non-profit treatment facility in Lakewood, joined the Lakewood Public School district to vaccinate at least 150 of its employees in late January. Ocean Health Initiatives, another local health center, also performed drive-thru vaccines in the Lakewood High School parking lot – although the district had no role in the event other than providing security and a venue for it.
Murphy added that teachers, as well as other upcoming eligible groups – including day care centers and transport workers – will be able to start making appointments to receive the vaccine from March 15.
Teachers’ unions across the Garden State emphasized the importance of vaccinating educators, while offering varied perspectives on what kind of vaccination plans should be implemented.
Steven Baker, a spokesman for the New Jersey Education Association, said the organization is committed to making “as quick and easy as possible” for teachers to be vaccinated, regardless of how and where it occurs.
“Combined with President Biden’s call this week to try to vaccinate all educators this month, it will likely take several different approaches to do so,” said Baker. “Perhaps creating some new sites, perhaps creating special times or days reserving these opportunities – whatever is necessary to get the job done, we are ready to work with anyone who is willing to work with us to make it happen.”
Sue McBride, the president of the Bergen County Education Association, doubly expressed support for a plan that “vaccinates as many educators as possible”, while recognizing that “there is a lot to discuss”.
“There are pros and cons to having medical units arriving at centralized locations, or perhaps passing through a school medical team – the health team that may be in a school district, like nurses and doctors at the school,” said McBride. “They can be an important resource to be used, certainly.”
She also emphasized the importance of the plan not interrupting regular school days, arguing that teachers should not feel “pressured” to use sick days or personal time to get vaccinated.
“We don’t want them to suffer from wasting time unnecessarily,” said McBride. “Many of our educators have actually used their sick time – either because of their own personal COVID illness or to care for a family member.”
Laura Kress, president of the Bridgewater-Raritan Education Association, recommended that teacher vaccinations be carried out directly on school buildings in organized time blocks.
“If they made a plan for each building … and scaled up the team, it could work,” said Kress. “Most New Jersey nurses who work in schools are already vaccinated … so most nurses can help with vaccinations.”
She added that if teachers were forced to schedule appointments elsewhere, schools “would have to close”.
“I’m sure that not everyone can do this on a Saturday – I mean, we have about 200,000 teachers (in the state),” said Kress. “It would be very difficult on any of the sites to vaccinate teachers. I think that would drag the process on longer. “
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Caroline Fassett can be contacted at [email protected].