DOTHAN, Ala. – As the vaccine rollout continues at an alarmingly slow rate in Alabama, many groups, including teachers and supporting staff, are becoming impatient and unsure of when they can expect the vaccine.
The Alabama Education Association has been urging state officials to make vaccinating teachers a priority after at least 39 public school employees have died from COVID-19, according to AP.
In a letter to Dr. Scott Harris, the state health officer, Theron Stokes, associate executive director of the AEA said, “Education employees are dying on an almost-daily basis because of COVID-19 and complications therefrom.”
Stokes said that educators’ deaths “automatically makes it a top priority.”
In a release from Gov. Kay Ivey Friday, eligibility for the vaccine has been expanded to include teachers and support staff among other groups of frontline workers. This expansion will bring the number of eligible Alabamians to just under two million.
Dothan City Schools Healthcare Liaison Heather Johnson said that the school system is still developing a plan for getting teachers vaccinated. So far, they have sent out surveys for employees to fill out indicating their interest in getting the vaccine once it is available.
