JCPS Employees Get 'Shot of Hope' Against COVID-19

1,200 employees receive first dose of vaccine 

January 22, 2021 – Tonya Moore, a special education teacher at Atkinson Elementary School, has been providing instruction to her students remotely since March, but there’s not a day that passes that she doesn’t wish she could teach them in person.

“Every minute away from my students is a minute too long,” she said.

So Moore rolled up her sleeve today and was vaccinated against COVID-19, joining more than a thousand of her colleagues at a drive-through clinic that marked the start of the vaccination rollout for K-12 staff.

“Getting the vaccine was an important and personal decision for me,” Moore said.  “My students need me, and the vaccine provides a pathway for me to safely return to my classroom.”

Nearly 1,200 JCPS employees from 25 sites today received their first dose of the vaccine for COVID-19.  The vaccinations were more than a week earlier than had been previously expected, thanks to a push by Gov. Andy Beshear and health department officials to vaccinate more Kentuckians more quickly.

“Allowing our teachers and other school employees to get vaccinated now is the easiest and quickest way for us to get back to in-person classes,” JCPS Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio said.  “I want to thank Gov. Beshear and health department officials for putting educators near the top of the list to receive the vaccine, and giving our families a shot of hope that a return to normalcy is coming.”

Over the next two weeks, all JCPS employees who requested the vaccine, as part of the K-12 employees eligibility group, are expected to receive their first dose, with a booster to follow in 21 or 28 days, depending on the version of the vaccine they received.

No date has been set to return to in-person classes for JCPS.  The Jefferson County Board of Education is expected to vote on a return plan in February.