COLUMBIA, S.C. (WBTW) – State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman is urging Gov. Henry McMaster to consider educators as essential workers, prioritizing them for vaccines in Phase 1b.
“Educators and support staff are frontline essential workers who need to be vaccinated not only for their own health but also for the betterment of students and their families,” Spearman said in a post on Twitter Wednesday.
Spearman shared a copy of a letter she wrote to McMaster and South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, urging them to prioritize teachers as frontline workers.
Educators and support staff are frontline essential workers who need to be vaccinated not only for their own health but also for the betterment of students and their families. I am asking Governor @henrymcmaster and @scdhec to prioritize them in Phase 1b. pic.twitter.com/StsNPBEuQ1
— Molly Spearman (@Molly_Spearman) January 13, 2021
“It is crucial that our teachers and support staff have access to the vaccine at the onset of Phase 1b so that we can meet our shared goal of returning to full face to face instruction,” Spearman said.
Both educators and school support staff are currently eligible to receive that vaccine in Phase 1b. This includes not only teachers, but school nurses, physical and occupational therapists, speech language pathologists and audiologists, and athletic trainers assisting with school based COVID-19.
Those who are eligible to receive a vaccine in Phase 1b can contact their local hospital before Jan. 15 to schedule an appointment.
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