ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – School board members with Orange County Public Schools drafted a letter asking Gov. Ron DeSantis to allow more teachers be considered eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Currently, people in Florida 65 and older, health care workers, long-term care facility staff and residents can get a vaccine.
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OCPS wants all of the district’s employees who have direct contact with students to be eligible for the vaccination.
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School officials said if this request can’t be granted, they want DeSantis to allow employees who are deemed to be at risk due to age and/or underlying health conditions to be eligible for the vaccine with the group of 65 and older.
“I think this is an extremely reasonable request. I honestly think to do anything less than this is irresponsible,” School Board Chair Teresa Jacobs said.
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School board member Linda Kobert said there are several employees who want to go back to teaching in person but do not want to until they receive the vaccine. She was one of the school board members to sign the letter during a meeting on Tuesday.
“I think this is critical,” Kobert said.
READ THE FULL LETTER FROM OCPS TO GOV. DESANTIS HERE
Last week. DeSantis was asked about this topic.
“Not at this time,” DeSantis told reporters when asked if teachers will be prioritized for the shots.