VUE President – Teachers Should Be Eligible For COVID-19 Vaccine

DeLand, FL – Teachers and other school staff that interact with students should be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. So says Volusia United Educators (VUE) President Elizabeth Albert. She made that argument to the Volusia County School Board (VCSB) during yesterday’s (January 12) meeting.  Albert said she is encouraging all educational professionals to reach out to the Governor and the Commissioner of Education to share their desire to be in the target group. She says teachers are considered essential…sometimes. "It seems like it depends on the desired outcome. We’re essential workers when we want to open the schools so people can get back to work but we’re not essential workers when it comes to the ability to have the vaccination so that we can stay safe." If the intention is for the schools to remain open and for students to have access to high-quality education, for them to be present in schools every day and for adults to be safe and healthy in order to be there every day, support from the community is needed according to Albert. She says that ‘teachers can’t do this alone and we need their help to minimize the spread. ‘ Albert said that when going to work every day puts you at greater risk, that should count for something. "Folks that don’t work in settings where there are 30 or 40 other human beings around them within six feet all day long, we would think that would mean something. When your work conditions are inherently risky, we think that deserves priority."  Here’s the contact information for Governor Ron DeSantis:  Office of Governor Ron DeSantisState of FloridaThe Capitol400 S. Monroe St.Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001 (850) 717-9337 governorron.desantis@eog.myflorida.com Contact information for Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran: Office of the Commissioner Turlington Building, Suite 1514325 West Gaines StreetTallahassee, Florida 32399 850-245-0505Commissioner@fldoe.org