Teachers face uncertain wait for vaccine
Eligibility starts Monday, but availability varies
As teachers become eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine Monday, some may get shots right away while others may need to wait up to six weeks depending on which school district they work for, health officials said Thursday.
Local health departments are in charge of coordinating vaccinations for educators and child care staff, though many were still finalizing plans this week and educators were left unsure of how to schedule appointments.
“We have another situation that appears to be the wild west out there,” said Ron Martin, president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council and a teacher in Eau Claire.
With a limited supply of vaccine, districts with higher populations of students of color and students from lowincome families will be prioritized, said Julie Willems Van Dijk, state Department of Health Services deputy secretary. Other districts may face longer waits than initially expected.
“It became clear to us that everybody thought they were going to do everybody the first few weeks of March, and that of course is not feasible given the vaccine supply we have here,” Willems Van Dijk said.
Other groups becoming eligible Monday include:
People in Medicaid long-term care programs such as IRIS and Family Care.
Public-facing essential workers, such as 911 operators, public transit workers, utility workers and food supply chain workers, including agricultural workers and retail food workers.
Non-frontline health care personnel.
People in congregate living, such as those in mental health institutions or people who are incarcerated.
Mink husbandry workers. Anyone who was eligible in the first vaccination phase and has not yet received a vaccination is still eligible. State health officials said vaccinators should continue to prioritize vaccinating those ages 65 and older, about 48% of whom have received at least one shot.
Willems Van Dijk said she expects to see a rise in vaccination supply in the coming weeks, with indications that more Pfizer and Moderna vaccines would be on the way and the pending approval of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Milwaukee schools race clock for proposed April reopening
Marlaina Jackson, interim commissioner of the Milwaukee Health Department, said officials hope most education and child care workers in Milwaukee will be able to get their first shots in March.
The city requested 10,000 doses for next week, including some second doses. Jackson didn’t say how many of those doses would go toward education and child care workers.
Milwaukee Public Schools has tentative plans to bring back teachers for prekindergarten through second grade in six weeks, April 12, with other grades returning to school buildings later in the month. The full vaccination process, including waiting periods between shots and after the second shot, can take six weeks.
Ben Ward, executive director of the teachers’ union, Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association, said the news dampens hopes that educators could be vaccinated in time for the proposed
April reopening. The Milwaukee School Board is set to consider next month whether to continue with the reopening timeline.
“I think it’s negligent to reopen schools in the middle of a deadly pandemic without getting staff vaccinated, when there is vaccination within our grasp,” Ward said.
Jackson said the health department will be offering vaccinations for education and child care workers as soon as Monday at the downtown Wisconsin Center. The department is still working out plans for mobile vaccination sites scheduled to open the week of March 8 at North Division and South Division high schools.
Eligible staff who live or work in Milwaukee can go to Milwaukee.gov/COVIDvax to schedule vaccination appointments.
Those signing up will have to provide the school where they’re employed, and they’ll be asked to show identification from their place of employment when they arrive to receive the vaccine, Jackson said.
DHS instructed local health departments to prioritize vaccination of education and child care staff, including staff at K-12 schools, child care centers, afterschool programs and higher education institutions.
Jackson said the priority will be on educators and their support staff, including teachers and people in the school buildings who interact with children. Those who work at Boys & Girls Clubs and other before- and after-school programs also fall into the educator group that will be eligible Monday, she said.
The city at this point does not plan to prioritize teachers who are already in classrooms or are expected to return to the classrooms soonest, she said.
Jackson estimated there are about 25,000 education and child care workers in the city, including from Milwaukee Public Schools, private schools and child care, though they may not all want the vaccine.
“Ideally we’re going to have all of our teachers in line ready to get vaccinated, and so obviously if that’s the case it’ll take a little longer,” she said.
Districts find their own way
With coordination left to local health departments, each of Wisconsin’s school districts has made unique arrangements for vaccinating staff.
The Little Chute Area School District, a small northeastern Wisconsin school district that serves about 1,600 students, planned to vaccinate nearly 150 teachers and school staff March 5 at Smith Pharmacy in town, district nurse Samantha Busko said. Staff will receive their second dose March 26.
Little Chute schools have been operating mostly in person all school year, but in order to allow all staff members the time to drive to the pharmacy and get their shot, all classes will be held virtually on those days.
“It’s incredibly exciting — we were jumping for joy when we found out about March 1,” Busko said.
The district’s plan to vaccinate in eight days hinges on DHS approval, and availability of shots at Smith Pharmacy.
“We won’t really, truly know that we’ve got all the vaccines we need until Thursday night,” said Little Chute schools Superintendent David Botz.
While Botz said he’s grateful for the efforts of Busko, local health departments and Smith Pharmacy, he said the lack of an overall plan is frustrating.
“One of the frustrations with this process is that the only thing that’s certain is uncertainty,” Botz said.
Some teachers already know they’re facing a longer wait.
In central Wisconsin, Wood County Health Department officials said they would not start vaccinating teachers and other groups until “better progress is made on those 65 and older, as they are at highest risk of hospitalization and death.”
About 1,500 people were on the waiting list Thursday.
USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin reporter Allison Garfield and Devi Shastri contributed to this report.
Contact Rory Linnane at (414) 801-1525 or rory.linnane@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @RoryLinnane.