St. Vrain Valley School District has started the process of getting its staff vaccinated against COVID-19, Don Haddad, superintendent of schools, announced during Wednesday’s school board meeting.
Employees 70 and older are getting vaccinations right now, he said, with some receiving their shots at Safeway and plans for others to receive them from Boulder County Public Health. The district also is looking to work with a couple of other locations to expedite the process, he said.
Gov. Jared Polis on Dec. 30 announced that teachers would be moved from phase 2 to phase 1B of Colorado’s vaccination plan. Phase 1B also includes people 70 and older and first responders and moderate-risk health care and frontline essential workers.
In a letter sent to school staff and families, Boulder County Public Health Executive Director Jeffrey Zayach stated the expansion of phase 1B is divided into two groups, those above and below “the dotted line.” Teachers fall below that line, while those 70 and older moderate-risk health care workers and first responders are above it.
“The state has instructed us to focus on vaccinating the critical populations above the dotted line first, before moving on to other groups in Phase 1B, including educators,” Zayach stated.
CaptionThe second wave will include those below the line in phase 1B.
“We are prioritizing in collaboration with the county health and the state health (departments) as to which employees will go first, looking at various criteria consistent with what the state is doing,” Haddad said during the school board meeting.
COVID data
For information on Boulder County COVID cases, deaths, hospitalizations and trends, click here.
For information about COVID in St. Vrain Valley School District, visit the district's coronavirus dashboard.
SVVSD has sent a couple of letters to staff, “including a message last week regarding the premature announcement by some districts of vaccinations for teachers that did not follow the state's timeline or protocols,” as well as updates for staff who qualify for vaccinations right now, according to Kerri McDermid, SVVSD chief communications and global impact officer.
Haddad, in the letter that went out on Tuesday, stated, “If you qualify for a vaccine appointment under one of these categories, you will receive additional information from our Human Resources team on next steps to secure your appointment reservation, as doses become available.”
At this time, SVVSD is not incentivizing staff to get vaccinated, McDermid said.
In an email on Wednesday, Haddad said he expects staff 70 and over and school health care staff to be vaccinated by the end of February.
Local health agencies anticipate educators who do not fall into the first wave of vaccinations to begin receiving vaccinations toward the end of February or the beginning of March, he said, adding depending on what happens at the federal level, the process could be expedited.
“Ultimately, once we get through the vaccinations our plan would be to return full time for pre-K through 12 (in-person learning), and we’ll be looking at five days a week as soon as we can get there. That’s what our goal is and that’s what our plan is,” he said.
