Biden Grants Vaccine Priority to Educators

President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday, March 2, that the U.S. is on track to have a vaccine supply sufficient for all adults by the end of May. In the same speech, he also stated that educators—including teachers, childcare workers, and school staff—will be given priority to receive the vaccine in the effort to reopen schools for in-person learning. Biden set the goal to have all such adult workers receive at least one dose of the vaccine by the end of March.

“Today, I’m using the full authority of the federal government; I’m directing every state to do the same,” said Biden. “My challenge to all states, territories, and the District of Columbia is this: We want every educator, school staff member, childcare worker to receive at least one shot by the end of the month of March.”

The administration will use a program run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to ship doses of the vaccine directly to pharmacies. These pharmacies have been directed to prioritize education workers and allow them to make appointments. CVS Pharmacy, which participates in the program, updated its website on Wednesday morning to read that childcare workers and K-12 workers are now eligible to sign up.

White House adviser David Kessler clarified that the administration is trying to be as inclusive as possible in its definition. “If you’re a teacher, if you’re a childcare worker, if you’re a staff worker, if you’re a bus driver in a school, you are eligible to go to that pharmacy and get your vaccine,” he said. He directed educational professionals to the CDC website for a list of participating pharmacies and encouraged them to sign up directly with their pharmacy of choice.

The CDC website currently lists at least 9,000 pharmacy locations nationwide open to educators.

Biden also admitted that the process of vaccinating every educator in America will take time. “I want to be very clear: Not every educator will be able to get their appointment in the first week,” he said. “But our goal is to do everything we can to help every educator receive a shot this month.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning and Campus Security and Life Safety. He can be reached at [email protected]

Featured

  • A.C. Camargo Cancer Center Enhances Security, Patient Care with Help from Advanced Video Surveillance

    A.C. Camargo Cancer Center, a leading oncology treatment center in São Paulo, Brazil recognized for its history of innovation, today announced that its partnership with Axis Communications has produced savings of more than $2 million over its first two years, all of which will be reinvested in patient care. A.C. Camargo has deployed more than 2,000 state-of-the-art video surveillance cameras throughout the Center’s corridors, complex care units, and parking lots, embracing a more holistic approach to security that emphasizes patient and employee safety along with improved quality of service. Read Now

  • 2025 Secure Campus Award Winners Announced

    Campus Security Today is pleased to announce the 2025 Secure Campus Award winners. Twenty companies are being recognized this year for products that help keep education and business campuses safe. Read Now

  • K-12 School Safety Trends Report Shows Training, Technology Are Saving Lives

    CENTEGIX, the industry leader and most widely adopted wearable safety technology provider for K-12 education, today released its 2025 School Safety Trends Report, the only comprehensive and data-rich analysis of school safety available in the wearable panic button market. The report identifies and outlines the top tech and legislative movements relevant to school safety in the U.S. and draws on data collected in the 2024/2025 school year through the CENTEGIX Safety Platform, including more than 265,000 incidents of CrisisAlert use. Read Now

  • Survey: Fewer Than 20 Percent of School Leaders Consider Their Main Entrance “Completely Secure”

    Singlewire Software, provider of solutions that help keep people safe and informed, releases the findings of its inaugural School Entrance Security Report, which captured responses from more than 500 school staff members across the United States. This research highlights the concerns and challenges schools are facing in securing their entrances and keeping students and staff safe from potential threats Read Now