Vaccines

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the health and policy aspects of vaccines and vaccination
Teaching Profession Letter to the Editor Educators Have a Responsibility to Support the Common Good
A science teacher responds to another science teacher's hesitation to take the COVID-19 vaccine.
August 31, 2021
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1 min read
Illustration of two women, two men with speech bubbles above their heads containing different shaped gears and with coronavirus in the air around them.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Families & the Community Only Half of Parents Plan to Vaccinate Their Children, New Poll Finds
The percentage of parents willing to vaccinate their elementary school-aged children against COVID-19 was just 46 percent.
Sarah Schwartz, August 31, 2021
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7 min read
cgcs 2021 tracker
School & District Management Interactive Masks, Vaccines & Testing: How the Biggest City School Districts Operated in Fall 2021
Education Week tracked COVID-19 protocols for some of America’s largest school districts at the beginning of the 2021-22 school year.
Tonya Harris, August 30, 2021
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1 min read
vaccine mandate tracker
States Interactive Where Teachers Are Required to Get Vaccinated Against COVID-19
From August to December of 2021, Education Week tracked where states mandated COVID-19 shots for teachers.
August 27, 2021
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1 min read
Grace John, who works at a school in San Lorenzo, gets a COVID-19 shot at a mobile vaccination clinic run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the state in Hayward, Calif., on Feb. 19, 2021. California will become the first state in the nation to require all teachers and school staff to get vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing. The statewide vaccine mandate for K-12 educators comes as schools return from summer break amid growing concerns of the highly contagious delta variant.
Grace John, who works at a school in San Lorenzo, gets a COVID-19 shot at a mobile vaccination clinic in Hayward, Calif. California is among those states requiring all teachers and school staff to get vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing.
Terry Chea/AP
Teaching Profession With Vaccine Mandates on the Rise, Some Teachers May Face Discipline
With a vaccine now fully FDA-approved, more states and districts will likely require school staff get vaccinated. The logistics are tricky.
Madeline Will, August 23, 2021
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9 min read
Image of child being vaccinated
Getty
School & District Management Calif. School District to Require Vaccines for Eligible Students, in What May Be a First
Culver City's student vaccine mandate has the overwhelming support of parents, teachers, and staff, said the district superintendent.
Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, August 19, 2021
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4 min read
Davis Eidahl, a science teacher at Pekin High School in Packwood, Iowa, says he doesn't want to get the COVID-19 vaccine. He thinks social distancing and occasional masking will be sufficient to keep himself and others safe.
Davis Eidahl, a science teacher at Pekin High School in Packwood, Iowa, says he doesn't want to get the COVID-19 vaccine. He thinks social distancing and occasional masking will be sufficient to keep himself and others safe.
Rachel Mummey for Education Week
Teaching Profession In Their Own Words Why This Science Teacher Doesn't Want the COVID Vaccine
Contrary to public health guidance, Davis Eidahl, an Iowa high school teacher, has no plans to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Catherine Gewertz, August 17, 2021
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4 min read
National Education Association President Becky Pringle delivers a keynote address.
National Education Association President Becky Pringle called vaccination "one of the most effective ways to keep schools safe."
Moses Mitchell/National Education Association
Teaching Profession Nation's Largest Teachers' Union Now Supports Vaccine Mandates for Educators
The National Education Association's head also stressed the need for employee input, including collective bargaining where applicable.
Sarah Schwartz, August 12, 2021
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3 min read
Dr. Paul Offit is a pediatrician at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Dr. Paul A. Offit is a virology and infectious-disease expert at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Photo courtesy of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
School & District Management Q&A Will Delta Push Schools to the Brink (Again)? This Infectious Disease Expert Is Worried
Dr. Paul A. Offit says schools that can't enforce mask wearing or use remote learning could end up in a "dangerous situation."
Catherine Gewertz, August 11, 2021
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4 min read
Teacher Lizbeth Osuna from Cooper Elementary receives the Moderna vaccine at a CPS vaccination site at Roberto Clemente High School in Chicago, Ill., Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021.
Teacher Lizbeth Osuna from Cooper Elementary receives the Moderna vaccine at a Chicago Public Schools vaccination site at Roberto Clemente High School.
Anthony Vazquez/Chicago Sun-Times via AP
Teaching Profession California Mandates That Teachers Get Vaccinated or Regularly Tested for COVID
California is the first state in the nation to issue such a requirement for all school staff in both public and private schools.
Madeline Will, August 11, 2021
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4 min read
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, arrives for an event with President Joe Biden on the coronavirus in the State Dinning Room of the White House on Jan. 21, 2021.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, arrives for an event on the coronavirus in January.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal Fauci Backs Teacher Vaccine Mandates: 'We Are in a Critical Situation Now'
The nation's chief epidemiologist said such mandates for teacher COVID-19 vaccinations would not be set at the federal level.
Evie Blad, August 10, 2021
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2 min read
First-grade teacher Megan Garner-Jones, left, and Principal Cynthia Eisner silent clap for their students participating remotely and in-person at School 16, in Yonkers, N.Y., on Oct. 20, 2020.
First-grade teacher Megan Garner-Jones, left, and Principal Cynthia Eisner silent clap for their students participating remotely and in-person at School 16, in Yonkers, N.Y., in October of last year.
Mary Altaffer/AP
School & District Management From Our Research Center As Delta Variant Spreads, Twice as Many K-12 Leaders Pivot to Hybrid Learning
Twenty percent of school and district leaders now report that they’ll adopt hybrid instructional models, up from 10 percent a month earlier.

Holly Kurtz, August 9, 2021
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4 min read
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten has called the coronavirus Delta virus "alarming."
Cliff Owen/AP
Teaching Profession AFT President Randi Weingarten Backs COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates for Teachers
As strife around school reopening surges, the teachers' union head says increasing vaccinations is paramount.
Andrew Ujifusa, August 8, 2021
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3 min read
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, talks during a news conference in front of the Richard R. Green High School of Teaching on Sept. 8, 2020, in New York.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, talks during a news conference in front of the Richard R. Green High School of Teaching on Sept. 8, 2020, in New York.
Mark Lennihan/AP
Teaching Profession Teachers' Unions Have Opposed Vaccine Mandates. But That May Change
American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten has said she is now considering supporting vaccine mandates after initial resistance.
Madeline Will, August 5, 2021
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6 min read
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