District Offers Vaccinations

Selma Unified School District offered its employees COVID-19 vaccinations on February 27th and March 27th. 

There were two groups, resulting in two different events, that hosted these vaccinations. The first group, cohort one, received their first dose on the 27th of February and the second on March 27th. The second group, cohort two, received their first dose on March 12th and the second on April 9th. 

The staff got to pick which cohort they would like to be in through a Google survey. This survey let people opt in or out for the vaccine. The ones that opted in chose the cohort they’d like to be in depending on which time stamps worked best for them. 

This was done to make the vaccinations convenient for the staff. 

“We wanted to make it as convenient as possible for the employees,” explained Assistant Superintendent Teresa Wood. 

The first cohort included 450 people and the second had 100 people. As the district has around 1,101 employees, this turnout was huge, also considering the fact that many got their vaccine of choice at their personal health providers. 

The first vaccination event was put together in four days’ notice because the Fresno County Department of Public Health announced that the vaccine would now be extended to school staff, as it was previously strictly accessible to senior citizens along with health care workers. The district offered the Moderna vaccine to its staff, as it was the one that they had been provided with by the United Health Centers. 

However, even as these vaccinations serve the purpose of making the staff more comfortable and not as susceptible to COVID-19, Wood added that it is necessary to not relax COVID restrictions. 

“People still need to wear masks, maintain physical distancing, and practice hand hygiene,” explained Wood. She highlights how as someone who previously contracted the virus, she acknowledges the need to maintain these safety precautions in order to help keep others and themselves safe.