Gwinnett County Public Schools announces COVID-19 vaccine rollout for employees
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - Gwinnett County Public Schools will begin distributing COVID-19 vaccinations the more than 13,000 employees that expressed their interest on March 8.
A spokesperson with Gwinnett County Public Schools said on the first group of employees, which includes teachers, paraprofessionals, bus drivers and school nutrition staff, will receive an alert by email with the date and time of their scheduled appointment.
The Georgia Department of Public Health will dedicate 600 daily doses at least the first two weeks to GCPS educators.
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The district spokesperson said the district determined those staff members were prioritized for appointments because they are in contact with the highest number of students on a daily basis and more often face situations when social distancing may not be possible.
Appointments will be scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Some employees, including bus drivers, will be scheduled to be inoculated on Saturday.
Scheduling will continue after the first two weeks based on vaccine availability with employees receiving alerts with the date and time of their appointment approximately one week prior.
GCPS officials said appointments scheduled through this opportunity cannot be rescheduled.
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GCPS will provide six nurses and six intake staff on a daily basis to assist the local health officials at their mass vaccination site. They will assist with the vaccination process with GCPS employees and non-employee residents of Gwinnett County.
GCPS employs approximately 12,300 teachers, counselors, media specialists, and local school technology coordinators. About 61% of those employees indicated their interest in this vaccination opportunity, the district said.
A scheduling program was designed to assign the appointments, ensuring that small numbers of staff are scheduled throughout the day at all schools. All schools will adhere to a scheduling program that allows for fewer than 10, with the exception of some of the district's large high schools.
This will help to ensure that schools are able to cover for staff members who are out during the day. Appointments will take place from 9 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. so some staff will have appointments after their workday and some may have appointments on Saturdays. For example, bus drivers and SNP staff will be scheduled on a Saturday.
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