Lowcountry school districts prepare to vaccinate teachers and staff

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The South Carolina superintendent says districts will be holding COVID-19 vaccination clinics at schools, making it more convenient for teachers and staff to get the shot.

School districts are working on plans to get them vaccinated as the state moves into phase 1B next week.

Charleston County School District officials say they are going to have their school nurses administer the vaccines at up to six different school sites. They have about 120 people on the nursing staff.

As of Tuesday, they don’t know when they are going to get their first doses or how many. The district’s Chief Operation Officer Jeff Borowy said 75% of teachers and staff have expressed interest in getting the vaccine.

CCSD officials say they will choose the order for vaccinations based on a school lottery system so it’s at random. Principals will be in charge of the order among school staff.

They are planning to have eLearning days to adjust to any staffing issues or side effects people might have after getting the vaccine.

“We’ve had cases of positive COVID cases in every school now, and yet they continue to go out and do God’s work and getting these kids educated. So it’s so important for them to get this vaccine,” Borowy said.

CCSD is partnering with MUSC to get their doses.

The Berkeley County School District released the following information about vaccination plans:

“Our District has a long-standing relationship with Walgreens so we will be partnering to vaccinate our teachers and other school employees now that the Governor has opened Phase 1B. We will be finalizing plans with representatives from Walgreens this afternoon and will share those plans with our employees once confirmed.”

Dorchester District Two officials released the following information about vaccination plans:

“Dorchester School District Two has a comprehensive COVID-19 vaccination plan in place that includes

a partnership with Fetter Health Care Network to assist with the vaccination of employees. With Governor McMaster’s announcement today of the state advancement of vaccine eligibility to Phase 1b on March 8th, we look forward to finalizing the specifics of the plan with Fetter within the next few days to include the date and location of vaccine administration, as well as the type of vaccine to be provided. Every effort is being made to schedule these vaccinations within the next ten days.

This is welcomed news for our teachers and staff especially as the district has recently transitioned to

full time face-to-face instruction for all students. The educators and staff in our school district have given tirelessly in time and effort as they put students first during this challenging time. We are pleased that these essential workers will be offered the protections necessary for them to do their jobs without concern for their health and safety.”

Colleton County released the following information about vaccination plans:

“Colleton County School District continues to explore options for helping our teachers and staff gain access to the COVID-19 vaccine. We have already reached out to healthcare providers, such as Fetter Health Care Network, to see if/when they will host vaccination distribution locations in our district. It is our preference to offer on-site vaccination locations to our teachers and staff, and we will release additional information on this matter as soon as possible.”

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