With teachers lower on NC vaccine priority list, restarting in-person classes could be delayed
Under North Carolina's latest vaccine priority list, teachers and school staff members are part of the third group in line to get shots, which could delay when students can get back in school in many counties across the state.
Posted — Updated"That process may delay the timing in terms of when educators can receive their vaccines if they're not quite at the age of 65 as of yet," Cumberland County Schools spokesman Lindsay Whitley said.
Retired teacher Bettye Dixon got vaccinated at a local clinic on Tuesday.
"[I wanted] to take my shot so I can go back and substitute," Dixon said. "Substitute is what I do now."
Kathi Barber, who retired as a school bookkeeper, said getting the vaccine is important for anyone working in a school.
"We were just side by side all day long, and with the kids going through the hall, it was just constant hands on," Barber said.
Not all teachers are ready to be vaccinated, however, so school district administrators are doing everything they can to encourage them.
"We're providing email information [and] videos as we have them. There's all sorts of information," Whitley said. "We want to encourage everyone to trust the science and get the vaccine."
The Cumberland County Health Department is already registering teachers so they're ready to be vaccinated when their turns come up.
"It doesn't allow them to jump the line and go now in Group 2, but it allows them to be ready for when it is their turn in Group 3," Cumberland County Health Director Dr. Jennifer Green said.
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