Teachers blast modifications to COVID-19 vaccination timeline

BOSTON — Teachers across Massachusetts are not pleased by the state’s modifications to the COVID-19 vaccination timeline, which bumps K-12 educators down on the priority list.

The adjustments align with recommendations from the federal government, but teachers’ unions across the state are feeling blindsided.

People 75 and older were moved to the top of the list as part of Phase 2, starting on February 1st. Folks 65 and older were moved up too.

The third tier, starting with early education and K-12 workers, comes next. However, a clear vaccination date for teachers remains unclear as more educators prepare to return to classrooms across the state for in-person learning on Monday.

“They feel like they’re being fed to the wolves,” said Merrie Najimy, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association. “Today, a decision was made that really pits society against itself.”

Najimy said the Massachusetts Teachers Association and teachers unions across the state have been advocating for teachers to get vaccinated sooner for weeks now. She called the further delay an infuriating surprise.

“We don’t actually know the plan. It was outrage that we had to learn through the press and not in advance,” explained Najimy. “[Governor Baker] simply can’t have his cake and eat it too. He can’t have us go back into the buildings but wait to vaccinate us.”

The Massachusetts Teachers Association and Boston Teachers Union are now set to discuss their concerns on Thursday with Marylou Sudders, Secretary of Health and Human Services.

“A lot of folks want to know what is the date and how is the decision by the state going to impact the timeline that was set for educators originally,” said Jessica Tang, President of the Boston Teachers Union.

Tang said she feels that the thousands of teachers and other staff who returned for in-person learning at Boston Public Schools in December should have already been vaccinated.

A new wave of high-needs students are returning to classrooms in Boston next week, which means many more teachers coming back into schools.

“As of Monday, that number is going to grow exponentially,” said Tang. “If there’s a spread in schools, it spreads not just to other educators, but also to our students and their families.”

Data from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released last month showed about 77 percent of Massachusetts districts were either in-person or hybrid and about 23 percent were fully remote.

That puts an estimated 450,000 students and 75,000 staff members in public school buildings.

The Massachusetts Teachers Association is also blasting the state for the placement of higher education staff on Phase Three of the vaccination priority list. The projected timeline for Phase Three isn’t expected to start until April.

“We still don’t know where each of these groups fall in terms of concrete dates, and we don’t even know what the vaccination distribution plan is,” added Najimy. “It just highlights the governor’s hypocrisy.”

Governor Baker’s press secretary sent the following statement to Boston 25 News in response to the criticism.

“Early education and K-12 workers are in Phase Two of the Commonwealth’s vaccine distribution plan, which the Baker-Polito Administration expects to start very soon. Scientific research has shown there are low transmission rates in school settings, and the Administration encourages all schools to safely reopen for in-person instruction, which is the best option for learning and the well-being of students. The Administration has provided a number of resources to districts to safely reopen, including rapid testing and a new pool testing initiative.”

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