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by Byron KhalilSaturday, January 16th 2021

Vaccinating teachers for COVID-19 is a concern for the Alabama State Board of Education.

State superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey led a board of education work session to discuss the 2021 school year.

Part of the meeting focused on vaccinating teachers. The state has encouraged superintendents to consider closing schools for in-person learning for a day when vaccines become available for teachers.

One plan might be to have all teachers vaccinated on a Wednesday and move to remote learning for Thursday and Friday.

SEE ALSO: Doctors ask you to continue COVID-19 precautions after vaccinations

Schools would return to in-person instruction the following week. Dr. Mackey admitted this would be difficult for larger school districts.

There is concern teachers attendance could be impacted by the COVID-19 vaccine.

SEE ALSO: Placebo recipients in COVID-19 vaccine trials begin to get real vaccines

Some have experienced headache and tiredness after being vaccinated.

“We know we don’t have substitutes. If even ten percent of your teachers call in the next morning and say, ‘I can’t make it’ that’s a huge problem, certainly now.” said Dr. Mackey.

The board also talked about spring break. Some are concerned about where students might go and that when they return it could lead to another spike in COVID-19 cases.

Superintendent Dr. Mackey also discussed summer school. He suggested school districts consider starting in July rather than June to give teachers a longer break.

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