Inslee won’t let teachers cut in line

OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee is not following Oregon’s example in regard to COVID-19 vaccinations. Inslee said senior citizens come first. Gov. Kate Brown rescinded that order in Oregon, allowing teachers to go to the front of the line. Inslee said schools can open without teachers getting vaccinated.

The governor, who is 69, said there are more than 1 million high-risk older Washingtonians that need the vaccine first. He said teachers are no different than store clerks or bus drivers who have been working through the pandemic. With vaccine supplies at current levels, he said for every teacher who gets vaccinated, that’s one less senior citizen who can get the vaccine.

Washington is currently in Phase 1B-Tier 1, which does allow for teachers who are 65 and older or those 50 and older who live in multi-generational households to be vaccinated. The next phase allows K-12 teachers and school staff who are 50 and older to be vaccinated. Educators who are younger than 50 are in Phase 1B Tier 4.

Inslee also pointed out that there are more than100,000 students in Washington have already returned to classrooms and there have been no major outbreaks.

“If you do other folks, it means one of the older people who may be 100 years of age can’t get vaccinated,” Inslee said. “I just do not believe 25-year-old teachers think they should get in line ahead of their 80-year-old grandparents.”

Meanwhile, teachers in the Marysville School District are getting help from the Tulalip Tribes. Teachers and support staff who are providing in-person learning for students will be given first preference, according to the district. Tribes in Washington set their own guidelines and are not bound by state restrictions

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Elkhorn Media Group

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