Updated: 5:28 PM EDT Mar 14, 2021
A COVID-19 vaccination clinic that is dedicated to administering vaccines to Boston Public Schools educators, bus drivers, bus monitors, administrators and all of the school district's employees and contractors is now open.The first of two BPS-only sites opened at 10 a.m. Sunday at the Boston Centers for Youth and Families (BCYF) Gallivan Community Center in Boston's Mattapan neighborhood.The BCYF site will offer about 200 appointments per day and will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays, and from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday.According to the school district, the clinic will run for two weeks and will then be operational again after 21 days in order to provide second doses of the vaccine for an additional two weeks.“More and more Bostonians are receiving their vaccines, and vaccinating our educators is a key step in the city of Boston’s reopening and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic," Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said in a statement. “Boston Public Schools educators and staff have worked tirelessly and selflessly over the past year to be there for our students. As additional students return to our school buildings, we are working to provide our teachers and school staff with as many vaccine access points as we can to further promote the health and safety of our school communities.”“As we near the first anniversary of last year’s school closure, the opening of our first clinic to administer vaccines to our workers is a monumental milestone in our battle against the COVID-19 pandemic,” BPS Superintendent Dr. Brenda Cassellius said in a statement. “There is more work ahead in our recovery, but this is a profoundly important moment for the Boston Public Schools and the city of Boston."Through a partnership with the Boston Teachers Union, BPS is offering a second location to the school district's employees and contractors only.The second vaccination clinic will be located at the BTU Hall in Dorchester, and will open when more vaccine doses become available.“We’re very encouraged by the momentum by which BPS and the city of Boston have made vaccinating our educators a priority now that we are eligible. We look forward to continuing our coordination in setting up as many appointments as possible,” BTU President Jessica Tang said in a statement. “BTU is appreciative that Boston is working so diligently with our educators on accessibility to the vaccines. Our students and educators want to be back in the classroom as soon and as safely as possible, and these additional access points poise us to do this right.”BPS staff can still sign up to get vaccinated on their own through the state's website and community clinics, such as health centers, community-based organizations and local pharmacies.In addition to the BPS vaccination clinics, the school district has reserved appointment slots at multiple existing clinics in the city of Boston.Massachusetts vaccination progress