Vaccinating teachers gets Pa. schools ‘one step closer to what is normal’
Updated Mar 12, 2021;
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The emotion inside the Capital Area Intermediate Unit headquarters on Thursday from school employees after receiving their COVID-19 vaccination could rival an amusement park, said its executive director Andria Saia.
“Disney has nothing on a COVID vaccination event,” she said. “People are so happy and so relieved. Really it is a weirdly happy place for getting a big needle stuck in your arm. I’m just absolutely shocked at how happy everybody is.”
Thursday was the first day when school employees who work in Cumberland, Dauphin, Perry and northern York County could receive vaccinations through this special statewide initiative aimed at getting schools back to in-person learning five days a week.
The former Remington Elementary School building in Ilion now belongs to Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES.
Central Valley School Superintendent Jeremy Rich and Herkimer BOCES District Superintendent Sandy Sherwood signed the documents closing the purchase Tuesday afternoon in the faculty room of the Remington School building. The cost of the transfer was $1 along with $320 in closing costs, according to a statement released by the Central Valley School District and Herkimer BOCES.
“It stabilizes our programs,” Sherwood said in a telephone interview. “It stops us from bouncing them around.”
The Herkimer BOCES Pathways Academy and adult education programs including licensed practical nursing and adult literacy and other programs are housed at the former elementary school. Pathways Academy provides an Alternative Education program for 7-12 students who have struggled in a traditional school environment, offering them instruction based on their needs and interests.