Teachers react to vaccine eligibility news

Published 12:47 pm Monday, March 1, 2021

They have been in partially-full buildings and classrooms since August, and soon it will be their turn to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday announced that vaccine eligibility will be expanded to include the state’s public and private pre-K through 12th-grade teachers and school staff beginning March 8. College education professionals are not included in this latest round of expanded eligibility. 

For many, the announcement came as a massive relief. A few local educators shared their thoughts with The Union-Recorder in the wake of the vaccine news.

“During the pandemic, I felt stressed, overwhelmed and I was not sleeping well,” Midway Hills Primary teacher Katrina Veal said. “I was worried about my health and the health of my loved ones. If you ask my family, co-workers, and students, they would tell you I am very outgoing, love to have fun and I just enjoy life. However, last year I felt a heavy cloud was hanging over my life, so I am ecstatic that Governor Kemp has decided that teachers will soon have the option of receiving the vaccine.”

Veal, who teaches STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) at the local K-2 public school, has been firmly in the camp of people that believe educators should have had access to the vaccine sooner.

“I do agree that our elderly should have been in Tier 1A, but educators should have had the option as well, especially if you are an in-person teacher,” she said. “This will take some stress off teachers and make parents feel that our schools are safe and a functional place for learning. Teachers want schools to be open and our children need to be in school. But we also want to protect ourselves and our students.”

Baldwin High School Spanish department chair Brian Olson said he is also very eager to get the vaccine. He, along with many others in the profession, was anxious about returning to the classroom in the days leading up to the 2020-21 academic year.

“Before the school year started, yes, absolutely,” Olson said. “I think my apprehension was only the natural high level of apprehension that characterized everybody’s life back in 2020. We were all worried. All of us. I was worried about getting sick, but I was more worried about getting my wife sick because she has some medical conditions that would make it a concern.”

Olson’s concern relaxed as the year wore on as neither he nor his wife, who is a teacher in Macon, got sick. Despite his fears easing, the Spanish teacher plans on easing them further by scheduling a vaccine appointment as soon as possible. 

But not all local educators are chomping at the bit to receive the vaccine. A sample poll was conducted by the newspaper among teachers and administrators at Baldwin County Schools, GMC Prep and John Milledge Academy. Out of 25 responses, 12 said that they do plan on getting the vaccine while 10 said no. Of the 10 “no’s” a few added “not at this time” to their responses. The other three respondents have already been vaccinated as they qualified under previous eligibility standards. 

Debbie Harshbarger, an English as a second language teacher at both Baldwin High and Oak Hill Middle School, received her second dose of the COVID vaccine just Wednesday. She turned 65 in January and wasted no time in making an appointment with the Baldwin County Health Department. 

“This is one of those times where it’s good to be 65 or older,” Harshbarger said. “I was really eager to do it. As an educator, I have, of course, been very cautious in my personal life. Even though our school system is doing an excellent job with mask mandates and social distancing, there’s still some potential exposure there. I was not one bit hesitant to get the vaccine.” 

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says vaccine recipients can expect pain or swelling on the arm where they received the shot. Fever, chills, tiredness and headache are also listed as possible side effects. Harshbarger shared her experience since receiving her second dose Wednesday.

“They told me it was a good idea to keep moving your arm, so I was doing some exercising with it,” she said. “I went to bed feeling fine and slept through the night feeling fine. I kind of kept waiting for some pain or discomfort to set in, and really only about 24 hours later I can feel a little tenderness in the injection site, but that’s all.”

Baldwin County School Superintendent Dr. Noris Price serves on a statewide working group of education and health professionals discussing best practices for vaccine rollout to teachers and school staff. Earlier this month at the school board’s regular meeting, she said she surveyed local school system employees to get their feelings on receiving the vaccine. Price shared that 52% of respondents said yes they would get it, 30% said “not at this time,” and 18% were unsure. 

Veal, the MHP teacher who shared that the pandemic has taken a heavy emotional toll on her, hopes those who are saying not yet or are unsure about taking the vaccine feel differently soon.

“I know some educators will choose not to get vaccinated for whatever reasons,” Veal said. “However, I wish they would reconsider. In my mind, getting vaccinated is just another layer of protection. No, it doesn’t mean all the barriers of COVID will go away, but I will be able to sleep better knowing that I was vaccinated and doing my part in protecting myself, my co-workers, and the students at MHP.”