Guest columnist James F. Birge: Expand vaccine eligibility to higher education workforce
MACTRUNK
Published: 3/12/2021 4:16:00 PM
We already know that our teachers and caregivers are heroes, but during this challenging year they have become superheroes.
I was happy to see that earlier this month, Gov. Baker announced that K-12 educators, child care workers, and school staff are eligible for vaccination starting March 11. I agree that Massachusetts needs to do what it takes to move toward K-12 schools being fully open for in-person learning, and vaccinating education workers is a positive step forward.
However, it’s surprising to see that faculty and staff in higher education are not included in these eligibility guidelines. Indeed, colleges, including the Massachusetts State University System, have remained open for much of the past year, carefully following specific safety protocols in order to do so, and making the needed investments in testing, remote learning technology, and other items like barriers and sanitizers.