State College Area School District, CIU partner on effort to start vaccinating teachers, staff
Now that Pennsylvania educators and school staff are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, regional intermediate units will help administer the first shipment of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is expected to arrive this week.
The Central Intermediate Unit 10 — which serves Centre, Clearfield and Clinton counties — has partnered with the State College Area School District for its vaccination site, CIU 10 Executive Director Francine Endler said Wednesday. SCASD will host the Army National Guard and AMI Expeditionary Healthcare, so school employees and contractors for public and non-public local education agencies may receive their vaccine.
It was not immediate clear where the vaccination site will be located.
The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and the departments of Education and Health are working to establish vaccination sites across the state. According to the governor’s office, most are expected to begin next week.
“In this statewide vaccination effort, the Central Intermediate Unit is honored to partner with the State College Area School District to serve as a host site for the operations and administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccines to Clearfield, Centre and Clinton county’s school employees and contractors,” Endler said in a statement.
Joined by the COVID-19 Vaccine Joint Task Force on Wednesday, Gov. Tom Wolf announced that Phase 1A of the state vaccination plan would be expanded to include teachers and school staff in an effort to safely keep students and teachers in the classroom.
“This new single-dose vaccine adds another layer of support to get students and teachers back in the classroom,” Wolf said. “Teachers and staff who work with our children will be vaccinated, and I commend the task force and all of our partners for their tremendous commitment to their schools and communities.”
Health care workers, people 65 and older and those with high-risk medical conditions may also receive either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, which require two doses.
Vaccine allocations for each regional site are determined by the state based on federal supply.
“These vaccination efforts provide another mitigation strategy within our respective school health and safety plans to increase the level of in-person instruction across Pennsylvania,” Endler said. “The Central Intermediate Unit stands ready to serve and support this important work in every way possible.”
