SEATTLE (AP) - The schools chief in Washington state is pushing for teachers to get vaccinated for the coronavirus when it’s their turn but also insisting they get back to classrooms immediately, shot or not.
“The bottom line is a vaccine is a tremendous safety net but it is never the thing that is going to create the perfect scenario,” said Chris Reykdal, superintendent of public instruction. “Our schools are safe today.”
Reykdal on Friday announced a partnership with Kaiser Permanente to offer vaccinations to the state’s 143,000 public school employees and 12,000 private school employees.
The health care company and medical provider is pledging to open its doors to all educators and school employees in the state when each of them become individually eligible under the state’s vaccine rollout.
Currently, that includes people who are at least 65 - or 50 and older in a multigenerational household - as well as health care workers, first responders and those who live or work in long-term care facilities.
The program is only an access option and does not force educators to get the vaccine through Kaiser.
The latest announcement is in line with Gov. Jay Inslee’s decision not to put teachers ahead of the general population as an entire workforce category. Reykdal said the program with Kaiser will simply make it easier for teachers to get the shot but will not change their place in line.
Both the governor and state superintendent have urged schools to reopen for younger, at-risk and the neediest children. In December, they acknowledged many teachers are reluctant to return to classrooms without a vaccine, foreshadowing multiple legal battles that have since emerged between resistant teachers unions and school districts trying to press forward.
Reykdal on Friday defended the state’s position on reopening schools and expressed frustration with the resistance from educators, though neither he nor the governor can force teachers to come back.
“You can’t like the science when it said in the spring: “close down until we learn more,” and then say you don’t like the science when it’s really clear that you can do this safely,” Reykdal said.
He implored school districts and unions to come to an agreement for reopening, while acknowledging that some would not be able to make it happen this school year given the limited availability of vaccines to date.
The statewide teacher’s union, the Washington Education Association, has likewise been frustrated with the push for classroom learning in the face of raging infection rates.
“WEA’s priority remains the same – keeping our students, staff, and communities safe. We’re calling for vaccinations to be available now for educators who are working on site and as soon as possible for educators transitioning back to the classrooms,” said Larry Delaney, the union president.
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