The Nebraska Commissioner of Education said he understands teachers may want the COVID-19 vaccine before returning to in-person instruction, but, with proper safety guidelines, teaching is a safe environment.
If schools follow COVID-19 safety protocols, they are a safe environment for teachers to work in, Matt Blomstedt said during NET News' Speaking of Nebraska program Thursday.
“The reality for teachers: they're putting their selves on the line at every moment in time during the school day," Blomstedt said. "We do hope, as vaccinations become available, we're right in the next order of getting this done.”
The Omaha Education Association said earlier this month teachers want the vaccine before they return to in-person instruction five days a week, the Omaha World-Herald reported.
Educators are among the many essential workers in Nebraska’s 1B phase of vaccination, which includes first responders, corrections staff and food processing staff. The state is going to prioritize Nebraskans 65 years and older, along with adults with high-risk conditions over essential workers, however, meaning it could be weeks or months until educators have both doses of the vaccine.
To learn more about teachers getting vaccinated and the effects of teaching in a pandemic, watch Speaking of Nebraska Thursday at 7 p.m. on NET Television or listen Friday night at 6:30 p.m. on NET Radio.
"It's only right," said Jane Hansmeyer, a Norris High School teacher, on Speaking of Nebraska. "There's people who absolutely need to be ahead of us, who need the vaccine prior to us."
It's hard though, Hansmeyer said, adding she works in a school building with 700 students every day, who bring their own exposures to school with them.
"We are pretty much on the front lines, and we do need to never let down," she said.
The Omaha Education Association is not the only group pushing to delay in-person teaching before vaccination. Chicago Public Schools halted in-person classes Wednesday after members of the teachers union decided to stay remote because they hadn't received a vaccination.
"Without vaccinated educators and staff," Robert Miller, the OEA association president, wrote in a press release, "every school day at every OPS school building becomes a potential virus super-spreader event."