BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The state has expanded vaccine eligibility to people 65 years old and older and those with underlying health conditions -- and local teachers are feeling left out.
According to the current state rollout plan, teachers for grades K-12 may not be eligible for vaccinations until sometime in March, and the wait time is even longer for higher education workers like administrators and non-teaching staff.
“It’s just going to take a little while, and I know for a lot of people, that’s an enormous source of frustration,” Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker said on Thursday. "The demand is so much greater than the supply that we’re getting at this point in time.”
The Massachusetts Teachers Association is now calling for changes to be made to the plan to speed up the process, because they say thousands of educators, school and college employees -- as well as students -- are teaching and learning without full protection from Covid-19.
The calls for change include the Last Mile Vaccine Delivery Program, a plan they are hoping the Commonwealth will adopt that would have firefighters and EMTs administer doses in school buildings.
The union said they know vaccinations will not solve all health concerns, but they believe the state can do more to keep employees, students and communities safer. They added that as of right now, it appears there is no concrete plan dedicated to vaccinating educators.
Under their suggested plan, educators would not be moved ahead of any other group in the rollout, but could be vaccinated at the same time as others in Phase II.
WBZ NewsRadio's James Rojas (@JamesRojasWBZ) reports.
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Written by Rachel Armany
(Photo: Getty Images)