From Feb. 15, Wake County teachers and students will return for personal learning. Many teachers have expressed concern that it is not yet safe.
“I can not imagine that I am a system that is so big and does not feel that fear and does not feel the fear, so my heart goes out to the people,” said Tonya Smith, a member of the North Carolina Association of Educators, said.
Smith is a high school teacher in Elkin, western North Carolina, and she’s been on a modified plan in the classroom since October.
“We have, of course, like everyone else, had some cases, but not major outbreaks, because our system is very small,” Smith said.
According to the state’s initiative plan, frontline workers, such as teachers, are the next group in line for a COVID-19 vaccine.
“I would like to see us move up a bit if possible, especially for the larger provinces with such a large number of students,” Smith said.
Davie County was one of the first to vaccinate many of its teachers, and this is something teachers in other provinces would like to do. However, Davie County has about 400 teachers, compared to Wake County with more than 10,000 teachers.
Secretary of State for Health and Human Services Mandy Cohen said Thursday that North Carolina must have enough vaccine in a few weeks to be able to vaccinate the third phase of residents, which includes teachers.
Government Roy Cooper has also announced a proposed one-off bonus for educators for their hard work and dedication.
“We continue to work hard for the government to get more vaccinations in North Carolina,” he said. “We want to reach out to teachers and other essential workers as soon as possible.”
“I would love to get my vaccine – 100% yes – but I do not want to take it away from someone with life-threatening problems,” Smith said.
Lisa Luten, spokeswoman for Wake County Schools, says the district still advocates that teachers be vaccinated as soon as possible.