Teachers and School Personnel Demand Prioritization for COVID-19 Vaccination

 

NEWS RELEASE

From the Missouri National Education Association
1810 E. Elm St., Jefferson City, MO 65101

For further information: 
Mark Jones, MNEA Communications Director
Phone: (573) 644-9609
Mobile: (573) 508-8528
mark.jones@mnea.org

"Educators, students, and parents have done their part...Now, it is time for our state leaders to do their part."

JEFFERSON CITY, MO - Today, Missouri National Education Association President Phil Murray sent a letter to Governor Mike Parson and Department of Health and Senior Services Director Dr. Randall Williams. The letter calls for Missouri to follow every bordering state's lead and begin the immediate vaccination of educators to facilitate a return to full in-person instruction.

"Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, and Nebraska are all currently vaccinating educators, with Oklahoma announcing they will begin doing so in six days," said Phil Murray, Missouri NEA president, and former classroom teacher. "If these states can prioritize vaccinating educators to resume full in-person instruction safely, why can't Missouri?"

Murray's letter emphasizes how educators have gone above and beyond for their students during the eleven months of the pandemic while also advocating for students' and colleagues' safety. Murray writes, "During the COVID-19 pandemic, we too often found state and local leaders abandoning science and safety guidelines they found too inconvenient or too expensive. This pattern of neglect and ignoring inconvenient facts cannot continue."

Finally, the letter reminds state officials that many educators provide in-person instruction right now even as more contagious variants of COVID-19 enter the state. "Educators, students, and parents have done their part; our schools have been open since the beginning of the school year using hybrid or virtual instruction to support students while keeping them safe," writes Murray. "Now, it is time for our state leaders to do their part by prioritizing the vaccination of teachers, school support personnel, and district staff."

 

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The 32,000-member Missouri NEA represents teachers, education support professionals, college faculty, retired teachers, and students studying to be teachers in school districts and on college campuses throughout the state. It is the Missouri affiliate of the 3 million-member National Education Association.  
 



 

Safe Schools Require Prioritizing the Vaccination of Educators

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