Unknowns concerning OPS teachers being vaccinated

Because of the Coronavirus pandemic, the fate of the school year has been uncertain since it began, but
as vaccines begin to be administered to the public, more questions arise. OPS has decided to no longer
adhere to the 3/2 model and instead have students come back full time. Along with this news came the
plan of getting teachers vaccinated. However, some teachers are worried about how the situation could
go.
A lot is unknown about the situation concerning when staff members in the Omaha Public School system
will receive their vaccines. They have applied for it, but few have yet to receive it. In an interview with
Central High math teacher, Lauren Beitel, she states, “I think that as of right now, there are a lot of
unknowns. We know that we are part of this, and we know that when it becomes available from the
county health department, then there will be some sort of organized way to get it,” she continued,
“They are giving us as much information as they possibly can. Unfortunately, that is not a lot of
information.”
Central High teachers have still not been given a full plan on when they will be vaccinated. School will be
going fully back in just two weeks, and Beitel said that she does not think that they will be vaccinated by
then.
When asked how she thinks she would improve the situation concerning the vaccine, she says,
“Everyone wants to think that their profession, or their age group, deserves the vaccine right now—and
we all do. I would say we want teachers prioritized as soon as possible but that just means getting more
vaccines and more people to help make that possible.”
Due to the unknowns of the vaccine, some have worries about not sticking with the 3/2 model, but
schools are doing the best they can to ensure the safety of their students and staff. In the following
weeks, more information will be given to teachers about when they will receive the vaccine.