Feb-Mar 2021 Advisor

VACCINATING

8 CEA ADVISOR FEBRUARY–MARCH 2021

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WE DID IT: CEA VACCINE PRIORITIZATION CAMPAIGN, PUSH FOR SCHOOL-BASED CLINICS SUCCESSFUL

After CEA’s widely publicized campaign to prioritize educators for COVID vaccines, and the Board of Education Union Coalition’s push to make them available at school-based clinics, Governor Ned Lamont announced that teachers and school staff would be next in line for vaccinations, beginning March 1, and that school-based vaccination clinics would be established to make the process seamless. CEA, together with fellow members of the Coalition, outlined their proposed plan and priorities with Lamont administration officials, and CEA followed up with a public awareness campaign featuring five Connecticut Teachers of the Year and airing on all of the state’s major network television stations as well as on digital media. The message was simple: Vaccinate Educators Now. A shot in the arm for public education While the governor recognized that educators and staff should be prioritized, by mid- February Connecticut had not yet joined more than half the states across the country already vaccinating educators. Calls to immunize teachers and other school staff reverberated not only within the borders of our state but on a national level, with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris joining health experts in saying teachers should be moved up in priority to receive the vaccine. The governor’s announcement on February 22 that Connecticut would prioritize educators and other school employees in this phase of the vaccine rollout was applauded by teachers as well as parents and students who had been waiting for a solution to make in-person learning safer.

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CEA’s public awareness campaign to prioritize educators featured Connecticut Teachers of the Year David Bosso, Sheena Graham, Kristen Record, Meghan Hatch-Geary, and Rochelle Brown.

“Nearly a year after the pandemic forced schools to shut down, no one is more eager for a full reopening than teachers, who understand the myriad advantages of in-person instruction and the hurdles of going remote,” said CEA Executive Director Donald Williams. “This next phase of vaccines moves our state forward in a sensible and equitable way.” “The state heard our concerns, listened to the science, and decided that to keep schools open and safe for everyone, the best course of action is to vaccinate teachers and staff,” said CEA President Jeff Leake. “Prioritizing teachers and other school employees makes sense because of the need for safety in our schools and the benefit students receive from in-class education. Parents appreciate knowing they can go to work while their children are being safely educated.” Vaccinating teachers will not only allow schools to reopen but also to stay open—and that’s critical. Anyone who has had to pivot from in-person to remote instruction and hybrid models understands how challenging these shifts can be, and how disruptive to students, teachers, and families alike. The primary reason Connecticut schools have had to close repeatedly throughout the pandemic is because of staffing shortages resulting from the need to quarantine. Under the CDC’s new guidance, however, teachers who are fully vaccinated against COVID would not need to quarantine— meaning schools could reopen safely and keep their doors open. Fully vaccinating teachers, and therefore fully reopening schools, will also allow for a steadier reopening of Connecticut’s economy, as greater numbers of parents can return to work knowing that school staffing shortages and shutdowns are unlikely. “The ripple effects of school closures due to COVID spikes and quarantines cannot be overstated,” said Leake. “The same can be said for the positive impact of vaccinating teachers. The way to open

GETTING THE WORD OUT If we prioritize full school reopening, we must prioritize vaccination of teachers. That was the central message of a broad-based CEA campaign that included television and web-based ads, op-eds, press conferences, and a statewide petition to give teachers the much-needed, long-overdue protection they deserve. A press conference held in mid-February to coincide with the release of CEA’s Vaccinate Educators Now public awareness campaign garnered media coverage by every local television station as well as national networks, newspapers, and radio programs. The day after the governor announced teachers would be prioritized, CEA aired “thank you” ads. Headlining CEA’s Vaccinate Educators Now and “thank you” ads were five Connecticut Teachers of the Year: • Rochelle Brown, kindergarten teacher at Poquonock School in Windsor (2021) • Meghan Hatch-Geary, English teacher at Woodland Regional High School in Regional School District 16 (2020) • Sheena Graham, choir teacher at Harding High School in Bridgeport (2019) • David Bosso, social studies teacher at Berlin High School (2012) • Kristen Record, physics teacher at Bunnell High School in Stratford (2011) “I am thankful for Governor Lamont’s quick response in regard to getting teachers vaccinated sooner, rather than later,” said Brown. “As we continue to diligently use all protective measures, I am feeling confident that receiving the vaccine will allow educators to be there for our students in person with far fewer school closures. This will allow for continuous, uninterrupted learning, social interactions, and building relationships, which are all such important factors to the well-being of our students.” “We know the governor and his team were tasked with the monumental and unprecedented responsibility of ensuring an effective and equitable vaccine rollout,” Hatch-Geary acknowledged. “We recognize the pressure and the weight of these choices, and we are grateful they made this prudent and wide-reaching decision, one that prioritizes education and that will positively impact so many communities in the state of Connecticut, including all of our students and their families.” “Receiving the vaccine, along with my colleagues, is something I am really looking forward to,” Graham shared. “In addition to the physical health benefits, it will provide an increased level of comfort in the classroom, give a much-needed boost to morale, and improve the social emotional health of students, parents, educators, and the community.” “Prioritizing educators for vaccination is the right thing to do,” said Bosso. “It is a reflection of the inestimable significance of education in our society and the life-changing work that is carried out in our schools every day. As an important step toward a return to normalcy, educators will be better positioned to provide the safest and most productive educational experience possible for all of our students.” “I’m proud to have been part of this campaign that advocated not just for teachers to be vaccinated, but all school employees,” said Record. “In a time where so often I feel like things going on in the world are out of my control, this was something tangible I could do with a group of people to make a difference. This type of advocacy shows that we really are ‘stronger together.’” The ad, which opens with masked students walking into school, begins with the narration, “If we want to keep schools open, medical experts say vaccinate teachers and staff.” “We need to vaccinate teachers,” says Dr. Anthony Fauci. “Teachers are a priority.” Connecticut’s Teachers of the Year, masked and standing several feet apart, deliver the message, “Let’s make it a priority in Connecticut and get

Berlin teacher David Bosso is eager to get vaccinated so that in-person learning can be safe for his students and colleagues.

schools safely and keep them from having to shut down is to implement CDC guidelines and vaccinate teachers.”

it done. We want to be with our students. But in-person teaching must be safe—for everyone. We must do the right thing in Connecticut. Vaccinate educators now.”

Watch the ad at cea.org/vaxnowad .