PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. — As the Biden Administration works to address ongoing concerns for vaccine accessibility, educators are now under the spotlight with promises of prioritizing teachers with vaccination eligibility.
Now that the state of Georgia is expanding the COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to teachers on Monday, some teachers are patiently waiting for the roll-out to take place.
For 12 months now, educators nationwide have adjusted to the pandemic, finding creative ways to continue teaching virtually. And some have gone back to the classroom despite concerns about COVID-19 cases and their communities' positivity rates.
One metro Atlanta school district just postponed the scheduled vaccination timeline that was supposed to start this upcoming Monday. 11Alive received an email from an educator in Paulding County who wants to remain anonymous.
The teacher said educators in the county were notified that they could start booking appointments for a vaccination with the Paulding County Department of Public Health. There was a registration system where employees could make an appointment to receive the vaccine.
But, as of this Friday, teachers were notified that plans have been postponed.
According to the spokesperson for the school system, the Department of Public Health informed the school system that “it does not have enough of the vaccine to accommodate the district's staff.” DPH said it will notify the district as soon as it does.
The teacher who reached out to 11Alive said the miscalculation of resources that could have been available is disappointing. The school district is urging educators in Paulding County to schedule appointments with alternative providers while the wait continues.
A question 11Alive has received is whether substitute teachers will be eligible starting Monday as well.
The Georgia Department of Education confirmed that they will be eligible, as long as they are active as substitute teachers this year.