SJHS teachers face vaccine delay

photo by Kiersten Olson

Sitting in Ms. Klus’ classroom, Jupiter the air purifier helps keep the air safe while teachers and students remain unvaccinated.

On January 6th, 2021, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) released a plan for state-wide vaccination. This plan placed teachers high on the priority list, putting them in a group categorized as 1B.

But—despite high priority—the scheduled date for teachers at St. Joseph High School to receive their vaccinations has been pushed back multiple times.

“While I understand the difficulty in getting enough vaccines, I’m disappointed that we are at full capacity before teachers are vaccinated when so many other districts are not doing face-to-face instruction—especially at full capacity—until their teachers are vaccinated. Hybrid is a great option in the meantime,” Ms. Klus said.

Currently, the most recent update they’ve been told through email has them prepared to be vaccinated during the second week of February. Though, it is unclear if this timeline will stick.