COLUMBUS, Ind. — As Indiana’s vaccination efforts continue, eligibility has opened up to a number of groups, including healthcare workers, first responders, long-term care residents and Hoosiers 65 years and older.
However, it’s unclear when another major group of front line workers — one that has dealt with constant upheaval amid the pandemic — will be added to this list.
At the moment, there isn’t a set date for when teachers and other school staff will become eligible for vaccination in Indiana.
All four states that border Indiana — Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio — are vaccinating teachers. In fact, 27 states are vaccinating teachers, and all but six have a timeline for when teachers will be vaccinated, according to Education Week. Indiana does not.
Local superintendents have said that teacher vaccinations would help schools return to — or, in some cases, maintain — in-person learning.
“Our goal is to keep school in session as much as possible and in-person,” said Superintendent Shawn Price of the Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corp. “I do believe that that’s best for our kids. And we have a better chance of doing that if our teachers can remain in the classroom, and vaccines have become an important part of that.”
Flat Rock-Hawcreek schools returned to in-person learning on Jan. 11.
Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. is offering in-person learning for elementary schools and a hybrid model for secondary schools. Both school corporations have also provided virtual options for students.
BCSC Superintendent Jim Roberts said that vaccines would help schools that are trying to determine how to return to in-person learning.
“I would support our teachers getting the vaccinations sooner rather than later,” he said. “And I’ve had the opportunity to verbalize that in certain forums and in contact with the department of health, from time to time. But with all of that said, I do understand that there are a certain number of dosages.”
Because of the limited number of doses, the state has had to make decisions about distribution using data and other factors, Roberts said. He also acknowledged that the state is focusing on “the most at-risk populations” first in order to stem the number of COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations.
Price said he too understood the vaccine shortage.
“I’m an advocate for educators receiving those vaccines, but I do know that there’s not enough vaccines to get that out right away. And I understand the state having to make those tough calls about prioritizing.”
For the complete story, see Wednesday’s Republic.
