State superintendent announces plan to vaccinate Washington educators

Washington’s state superintendent announced that there is a plan in place to vaccinate teachers, but it could be a few weeks until vaccines become available.

Superintendent Chris Reykdal announced the “Get Ready” plan, with a partnership with Kaiser Permanent, during a Friday news conference.

The plan will launch when personnel become eligible under the state’s vaccination protocols.

It will include about 14 to 20 vaccine locations along the I-5 corridor and in Spokane. Exact locations are still being determined.

The Office of Superintendent of Public Information and the Department of Health are planning for potential sites that are closer to Central Washington school employees.

“Keeping our educators and school staff safe is very important to me,” said Gov. Jay Inslee. “This announcement does not allow educators to move ahead in the current prioritization. It means when it is their turn, we are ready to move ahead. I’m excited about today’s announcement and look forward to working with Superintendent Reykdal, Kaiser Permanente, and our labor partners as we continue our efforts to make sure our educators and school staff have rapid and equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as they are eligible.”

There are 143,000 school employees in the state, and the plan could cover between 70 to 80%.

“Although our schools are already reopening safely without widespread vaccinations, we know this will expedite that process and ultimately benefit our students, their families, our educators and staff, and our communities as a whole,” Reykdal said.

Kaiser Permanente will provide dedicated vaccine resources and space at its owned and operated clinics as well as K-12 school locations for both member and non-member school employees.

Cox Media Group