LOUISVILLE, Ky. — While it still may be several weeks before teachers in Kentucky have their chance to get the coronavirus vaccine, some are already excited at the possibility.
"We can feel a little bit more safe doing things that used to be normal for us, so going back to school and seeing my students, and my students being able to see their friends, that's really exciting to think about," Joseph Kelly, a teacher at Knight Middle School, said. "I don't know a single teacher who does not want to go back in the school building."
"What we do on Zoom and on NTI is really not the same," Tammy Berlin, a teacher at Atherton High School, said. "We don't get to build the kind of relationships with kids."
Gov. Andy Beshear announced this week teachers and other school staff, including food service workers, custodial staff and bus drivers, will be included in the next phase of Kentucky's vaccine rollout. Other groups included are people over the age of 70 and non-medical first responders. Louisville health officials said these people could potentially start getting their shots as early as the end of January.
"I am concerned definitely about a lot of my co-workers who are older and definitely in that demographic where the virus can affect them in a pretty serious way," Kelly said.
But not everyone is rushing to get a vaccine. Kumar Rashad, a teacher at Breckinridge Metropolitan High School, said he is wary of the long-term effects, which have not yet been studied extensively.
"The short term I feel comfortable with, but there's no study for what happens a year down the road," he said. "What happens two years down? So we don't know yet."
Rashad said there is also a hesitancy from some Black teachers and staff when it comes to the vaccine due to a history of systemic racism in the medical and scientific community, including the Tuskegee syphilis study that was conducted less than 100 years earlier in 1932.
"As a Black man, knowing my history, I know there have been several times that we as a people have been targeted as guinea pigs for this country," he said.
"It's tricky," Kelly said. "I do hope more is done to alleviate those worries."
Berlin, who also serves as the vice president of the Jefferson County Teachers Association, said she hopes JCPS will acknowledge many teachers and staff may have their reasons to not receive the vaccine and will set up safeguards to keep everyone safe, regardless of their vaccination status. She said JCPS has not issued any guidance on whether the vaccine will be required, but a requirement would likely not be coming from the district.
JCPS has asked its employees to fill out a survey about their interest in receiving a vaccine. Director of Communications Renee Murphy said JCPS shared the results of the survey with the state Wednesday.
While getting the vaccine is one step towards a return to the classroom, teachers acknowledge more needs to be done before there will be confidence in a full return. Several factors raised included smaller class sizes, hybrid schedules and improved ventilation in school buildings.
"How long is it going to be before students and their families can get vaccinated? So we're certainly concerned about them," Berlin said.
"There has to be an understanding the effects the hallways play into it, because if we're social distancing in the classroom, it almost kind of defeats the purpose if we just go into a mesh in the hallway," Rashad said.
"If I get vaccinated, I would still be wearing a mask," Kelly said. "I would still be helping my students stay safe in that regard."
Murphy said JCPS will still have virtual learning as an option for students once schools return to in-person instruction.
Berlin said JCTC is not issuing any guidance on whether teachers and staff should take the vaccine but said it is encouraging people to discuss their options with their healthcare providers.
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