NORTHFIELD — More than 50 special education teachers and instructional assistants received their first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine during a pop-up clinic at Pioneer Valley Regional School on Friday.
Superintendent Jonathan Scagel said Friday was a professional development day, so no students were attending classes in person at the building while teachers and instructional assistants visited the clinic in Pioneer’s gymnasium. The clinic was organized through the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.
“I just really want to thank Sheriff Christopher Donelan, District Physician Dr. Ruth Potee and our district nurses for coordinating this,” Scagel said. “They’ve gone above and beyond, and we are extremely grateful for what they’ve done to put this together.”
Lori Streeter, superintendent of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, said the clinic ran like a well-oiled machine on Friday, with 51 out of 53 doses allotted for the day having been administered by noon. The Sheriff’s Office began leading the charge last week to get county teachers, school administrators, all school staff members and bus drivers vaccinated against COVID-19 before they return to in-person learning in April as the governor and state education commissioner have requested.
After receiving their first dose of the vaccine Friday, instructional assistants Karen Ellis and Julie Severance sat in the Pioneer gym, knitting while they waited to make sure they didn’t have an adverse reaction to the shot. They both said they felt well, and were excited about getting the vaccine and the peace of mind and comfort it could bring to both their professional and personal lives.
“It’s exciting,” Ellis said. “I was psyched and I think scared at the same time.”
Ellis, an instructional assistant for second grade, said she knows a teacher who has been unable to teach in person due to health safety concerns, so two classrooms are combined when students are in person for supervision. With instructors receiving the vaccine and intending to return to the classroom, Ellis said it will help avoid rooms feeling “over-full.”
Severance, an instructional assistant for kindergarten, said she looks forward to more comfort in both her professional and personal life.
“I’m the primary caregiver for my elderly mother,” Severance said. “So (attending the vaccine clinic) really was not school-related. It was an easy way to get it and that’s what I was waiting for. I was not going to sit on my computer waiting for an appointment for three years, so this came up and it was easy.”
Donelan said last week he understands that people are anxious and eager to get their first shot, especially those heading back to in-person learning with students in the next several weeks. The sheriff’s medical staff members have also been helping vaccinate the county’s elderly population, and Donelan has said they all felt it was “very important” to also help educators.
Zack DeLuca can be reached at zdeluca@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.