CHICAGO — All Chicago Public Schools employees and vendors are now eligible to get COVID-19 vaccines at sites run by the district, it announced Wednesday, the one-year anniversary of statewide school closures.
CPS CEO Janice Jackson said Wednesday the goal is to have all staff members to receive a vaccination by the end of March.
With more than 52,000 people in that category and no central tracking method, it’s unclear how many still need their first doses. CPS only has access to data from its own sites, where 5,100 first doses had been given as of Monday, though the Chicago Board of Education last month approved a measure that requires employees to tell the district whether they’ve been vaccinated.
Combined with data from district-run sites, a survey of employees with a response rate of 41% showed that, more than 14,000 employees, or at least 30%, had received their first dose, the majority from independent providers.
Given the missing responses, district officials said the total number is “assumed to be significantly higher,” but what they know includes 7,584 teachers; 1,835 other CTU members such as substitutes, nurses and paraprofessionals; 706 school-based administrators; 496 network, citywide and central office staff; and 3,443 other employees.
All employee groups received more vaccines from independent and partner sites than directly through CPS, except for a group of miscellaneous employees that includes hourly workers.
Survey response rates were highest among administrators and central office staff. The district is imploring the majority of staff who did not respond to do so, pushing the survey as “critical to gathering a greater understanding of who has and has not received the vaccine and who still needs it.”
In response to a question about staff members not filling out the survey, Jackson said: “We think it’s really important we have that information, so I would by lying if said I wasn’t disappointed at some of the tactics that are being used.”
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a prepared statement Wednesday: “In order for vaccines to truly be the light at the end of the long and dark tunnel we’ve been in for the past year, we must make every effort to get them to those who need it most, especially our essential workers. With vaccination appointments now available to all CPS employees, we will be able to not only enhance our ongoing, in-person learning mitigation strategies, but make even more progress in our citywide goal of fully reopening and recovering from the pandemic.”
In February, CPS opened four vaccination sites and started “offering” 1,500 first doses per week in based on exposure and ability to rely on mitigation strategies, also factoring in how long a specific group of employees has been working in person.
Within each group, employees could be prioritized if they’re 65 or older or have a high-risk medical condition. Employees with medical accommodations may be expected to work in person after they receive both doses, and employees without approved accommodations are expected to work in person regardless of vaccination status. Some educators are taking unpaid leaves of absence until they are fully vaccinated.
The district is now actively campaigning for all employees to get vaccinated wherever they can.
“Exactly one year ago we were faced with unprecedented uncertainty and today, we are on the horizon of a much brighter future with all of our staff eligible to be vaccinated and students learning in classrooms throughout the city,” Jackson said in a release. “I am extremely grateful to the Biden Administration who has greatly increased the availability of vaccines and our state and local health officials who have prioritized teachers and school-based staff.”
On March 13 of last year, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced that all schools had to close by the following Tuesday, March 17, amid the burgeoning coronavirus pandemic. The initially closure was intended to last until March 30, with the warning of a possible extension.
