Plans being set to get teachers vaccinated once eligible

School staff will not move ahead in the Covid-19 vaccination queue despite the Washington Education Association (WEA) having asked the state to give teachers higher priority. But the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and Kaiser Permanente Washington, are putting together a plan to get all teachers vaccinated as soon as they become eligible under Washington state’s current vaccination plan.

On January 29, state superintendent Chris Reykdal and Kaiser Permanente Washington president Susan Mullaney announced the development of the Get Ready plan and its goal to get state educators and school staff vaccinated equitably and safely, according to an OSPI press release. The plan would use 14 to 20 Kaiser locations to vaccinate teachers and school staff.

“Keeping our educators and school staff safe is very important to me,” said governor Jay Inslee in the January 29 press release. “This announcement does not allow educators to move ahead in the current prioritization, it means when it is their turn, we are ready to move ahead. I’m excited about today’s announcement and look forward to working with superintendent Reykdal, Kaiser Permanente, and our labor partners as we continue our efforts to make sure our educators and school staff have rapid and equitable access to the Covid-19 vaccine as soon as they are eligible.”

OSPI encourages school districts to continue their own vaccination plans already in development. The statewide plan, rather, provides access to teachers and school staff who work in districts without a plan.

Blaine school district superintendent Christopher Granger said Blaine is not waiting for the state to provide vaccines for staff. He said the district is currently working with local health care providers to make Covid-19 vaccines available for teachers and staff when they become eligible under the state’s vaccination plan.

All people over the age of 65 are currently eligible to get a vaccine, according to the vaccination plan. Teachers and staff over the age of 50 are eligible in the next phase, Phase 1b Tier 2, while all other school employees in K-12 schools are expected to be eligible after half of the current eligible population is vaccinated, according to the press release.

Granger could not provide information as to whether any staff had already been vaccinated. He also said the school district will not require teachers and staff to get vaccinated.

“If we get a provider to work with, it will be available for those who choose to get [the vaccine],” Granger said. 

In mid-January, the WEA board of directors passed a resolution that all educators working in schools or higher education facilities should have priority access to both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, according to a January 12 WEA blog post.

The board rejected the state department of health’s recommendation that age should be a determining factor for when educators receive the vaccine.

WEA president Larry Delaney reiterated in a January 27 letter to Inslee the need to prioritize educators working in buildings, and those soon to return, to be offered the vaccine immediately. However, the governor has not changed his position, and teachers under the age of 50 will have to wait to be eligible.