Platte County’s two largest school districts are finalizing plans to have mass vaccination events for teachers and staff.
Platte County R-3 school district is working on a plan with Truman Medical Center (TMC) in Jackson County to bring a mass vaccination site for teachers and staff to the high school in Platte City.
Executive director of pupil services, Dr. Jennifer Beutel, has been working on the plan for the district. She told R-3 board members at their regular meeting last Thursday, Feb. 18, that officials from TMC would be on campus Monday, Feb. 22, to do a logistical tour of the school.
Platte County R-3 nurses will also be part of the process in administering the vaccinations. The district will provide the building along with infrastructure like tables, chairs and wastebaskets. TMC will provide the logistics.
“I think this is the site that’s most conducive to an event like this,” Beutel said. “I think that’s easier for our staff and our community.”
Beutel said R-3 is also talking with smaller school districts in the area about being included in the event. She said with more people it could bump R-3 up the list to receive the vaccinations.
“The more folks we have coming to our site may impact where we are in the cue,” Beutel said.
Beutel said the district is still in talks with North Kansas City Hospital. She said the district wants to keep every communication line open.
“We don’t want to lose anything so we’re still having those conversations,” Beutel said. “I’m comfortable where we are with Truman.”
Park Hill School District officials announced earlier this month they’ve reached an agreement with North Kansas City Hospital to do a mass vaccination site for the district.
Park Hill Director of Secondary Education Dr. Jamie Dial told board members that final survey results show about 84 percent of the district’s teachers and staff want to be vaccinated. In total that’s about 2,000 people and the event would take place over two days.
Dial said the district also partnered with Blue Cross and Blue Shield to make sure every staff member could get the vaccination without being charged.
“We wanted to remove any barriers that could possibly be in place if a staff member wanted to get vaccinated,” Dial said. “We feel very confident in our partnership and our plan here at Park Hill.”
While both districts make plans for the vaccination sites it will be awhile before they can actually be put into action. Where the current tier system stands educators are still not authorized as a group to receive the vaccine. Beutel told board members she has heard April 1 as the earliest date but that could change.
The Missouri National Education Association President Phil Murray sent a letter to Missouri Gov. Mike Parson last week demanding that teachers be prioritized for vaccinations immediately. Murry noted it’s especially important when districts like Platte County R-3 move to return to full in-person learning. R-3 will return to full in-person classes on Monday, March 1.
“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,” Murray wrote. “Now, it is time for our state leaders to do their part by prioritizing the vaccination of teachers, school support personnel, and district staff.”
Dial told board members regardless of when teachers are eligible they will be ready.
“Although we have a plan, and we are Park Hill, we plan and we’re ready; it’s not that we can start immediately,” Dial said. “We have to wait our turn in order to do that.”