Pinellas Senior Teachers, School Employees To Get Vaccinated

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — Pinellas County public school teachers will be able to receive the coronavirus vaccine — as long as they're retirement age.

The Department of Health-Pinellas is offering vaccines to school district teachers, staff and other employees age 65 and up.

It's not quite what the Pinellas County School Board had in mind when it sent a letter to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this month.

The Pinellas County School Board wants teachers moved up on the governor's priority list for the vaccine, arguing that teachers and staff are essential workers who face the same risks of contracting coronavirus as first responders and front-line health care workers.

In the letter, the board told the governor that teachers, "are front-line heroes who serve their students, families and community daily."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agrees. It lists teachers on its priority vaccination list.

DeSantis, however, continues to exclude teachers from the priority list, saying teachers don't have to be in the classroom. They have the choice to teach online.

Nevertheless, partnering with the school district, the DOH-Pinellas began offering vaccinations to the district's teachers and staff this week and will continue vaccinations at three sites through Jan. 25.

The district has about 800 employees age 65 and up, including substitute teachers, temporary workers, food service staff and bus drivers. School nurses are already included on the governor's priority list.

The school district has a total of 17,000 teachers, administrators and support staff.

“We’re very excited about partnering with the Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County to provide all of our employees over 65 a free coronavirus vaccination,” Superintendent Mike Grego said.

Registrations for the vaccine are being done through the school district, and Grego said teachers and staff will be able to keep their appointments even if it conflicts with their work schedules.

“We’ll work around whatever the schedule is,” Grego said. “We want anyone who wants to get vaccinated to be able to do that.”

Pinellas School Board chairwoman Carol Cook applauded the effort.

“We want to keep our teachers safe," she said. "We want to keep them healthy and in front of our students."

The Hillsborough County School District has made similar arrangements to vaccinate teachers and staff age 65 and older.

Teachers who have compromised immune systems but are under 65 years old have asked to be included in the vaccination effort. However, DeSantis' executive order in November doesn't make exceptions for those with pre-existing conditions.

But if the medical condition is life-threatening, the governor's order allows the resident to be assessed at a local hospital and, if eligible, vaccinated at the hospital.

Grego is hoping the governor amends his order to include teachers with compromised immune systems and underlying health issues.

The Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association says all teachers deserve to be vaccinated. The association submitted a petition to the governor with more than 1,100 signatures, asserting that the daily face-to-face contact with students puts teachers at severe risk.

"If you are mandating us to keep schools open and full, you should protect the people who are required to work there," Nancy Velardi, president of the association, said. "They are very uncomfortable with the rising number of cases."

According to the Florida Education Association, 26 teachers have died after contracting the coronavirus.

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