Assemblymembers call on state to prioritize educators in vaccine distribution
Jordan Cunningham.
–This week, Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham (R-San Luis Obispo) and Assembly Education Committee Chairman Patrick O’Donnell (D-Long Beach) sent a letter to the California Health and Human Services Agency requesting that the state prioritize teachers and school staff in the soon-to-be-released vaccine distribution schedule.
“The picture painted by both the public health data and the student progress report data show why it is imperative to prioritize the reopening of our schools within the state’s pandemic response,” the letter states. “Getting our state’s teachers and school staff vaccinated early would allow school districts to reopen faster and enable our students to return to a workable learning environment. Our state’s children cannot afford to wait. This is too important to overlook or sweep aside – we must prioritize the reopening of our schools and develop a vaccine schedule that effectively applies that priority.”
According to recent reports, the state is preparing a phased vaccination schedule with frontline healthcare workers and congregate care residents and employees in the beginning phase. In their letter, legislators suggest placing teachers and school support staff in the following phase.
Recent public health data, as well as data released by school districts across the state, are showing cause for concern for students. Mental health emergencies among children are up 44-percent year-over-year, while the education achievement gap between rich and the poor continues to widen, according to the letter.
Download a copy of the letter here.
