Statement on School Reopening and Teacher Vaccinations

“A top priority for everyone in government, whether at the local, state or federal level, should be getting our students and teachers and staff back into the classroom safely. Getting students back into the classroom, where they learn best, should be a local decision which will depend upon a variety of factors. If the Governor wants to mandate opening elementary schools across the Commonwealth to in-person learning by April 1st, the Administration must have an equitable plan that gives communities the necessary support and resources to do that. Among those resources, we need a vaccine program for teachers and staff that is aggressive, and we need it this month. As more vaccine doses become available to the state, I am calling on the Governor to designate a percentage of those doses to be administered to teachers and staff in their communities.” - Senate President Karen E. Spilka