State sets priorities for vaccination of teachers

State health officials released a detailed road map with priorities for how, which school employees can get vaccines first.

On Thursday, California health officials released a detailed road map with priorities for how and which school employees can get vaccines first, starting with those already back in-person and those with plans to return back to campus in about three weeks.

The number of vaccines that each school district or childcare organization receives will be determined by a formula that prioritizes districts with a high portion of low-income students, as well as those that have been hit hard by Covid-19.

In addition to ongoing vaccinations being led at the county level, the state is also partnering with FEMA to launch vaccination days specifically for educators at the Oakland Coliseum and Cal State L.A.

Some teachers have already been directed to get shots at large vaccination sites even if it is not in their county. At a recent West Contra Costa Unified board meeting, staff members were told they could sign up for an appointment at the Oakland Coliseum location even if they live and work in Contra Costa County, which has also started vaccinating teachers.

Now, teachers can also sign up for a priority slot using the state’s vaccine delivery system, MyTurn.ca.gov. Those eligible for the vaccine also include substitute teachers, paraprofessionals, bus drivers, food service workers, custodial service workers, administrators, as well as on-site staff supporting meal distribution or technological access for students.

Educators must use a unique online code to book an appointment through the state vaccine website. Those codes will be distributed by the state to county offices of education, which will then allocate them among local districts and child care centers to deliver to school staff. Each week, the state is aiming to distribute up to 75,000 codes, which teachers can use to book a single appointment at a local vaccination site.

Access codes will be allocated based on the size of the district staff as well as the local student population. Districts where students have been heavily impacted by the pandemic, such as those with higher portions of low-income students, English learners and foster youth, will also be prioritized in the state’s calculation for distributing the codes in an effort to speed up safe school reopening in hard-hit communities.

That’s because in many parts of the state, communities that have had the highest rates of Covid-19 are least likely to get the vaccine. In Los Angeles, for example, higher percentages of white and Asian American residents are receiving doses than Native American, Black and Latino residents.

But already some California residents have tried to grab appointment access codes that were reserved for Black and Latino populations who were more at risk of Covid-19. Access codes have been circulating among wealthier groups who work from home, allowing them to cut in line, according to the Los Angeles Times. The state, in response, has attempted to curb the issue by making access codes good for only one appointment, so it can’t be shared.

Priority for the vaccines will also be given to teachers who are working in-person or who are going to return to campus within 21 days; however, some flexibility with that timeframe may be given depending on supply and school reopening plans.

Getting shots into teachers’ arms will be a crucial element to bringing students and staff back to campus for in-person instruction.